Undead Cataclysm
by K.C Daring
Summary: With the word in total chaos, Inuyasha and the others must join together to save the rest of humanity, while avoiding the jaws of the undead. (A.N, most of the Inuyasha characters will be used in this story.)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, all right to the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter One

A young man pulled his dirty long white hair back into a ponytail, his face weary from another sleepless night. The last of his allies were bitten by the undead and dragged away before he could reach them. He had figured he had been on his own for weeks, but to be honest he had lost track of the days, some time back. With no one to trade watch with, he found himself unable to get a moments rest, he was tired and hungry. Determined amber eyes glanced up to the bare branches of a towering oak, he climbed his way up to the upper limbs, before making himself comfortable. Hours earlier he had come across a particially full backpack, now was the time to see if he had actually picked up anything useful. He took another look around, making sure the coast was clear before opening up the bag, and discovered that he was still very much alone.

The sound of the zipper cut through the silence, like a plane taking off, although he knew most of the noise was his own imagination. Inside were a few things that could prove useful, a knife, a few bottles of water, two energy bars, and some beef jerky. The gun that was in it, was out of ammunition, and seemed to be the most useless. "Well, I can't always be so lucky. It wasn't a complete waste to grab this thing..." He had taken up the odd habit of talking to himself a few days prior, if only to keep his sanity. The sound of a twig snapping , had him ridged and alert, as his eyes swept over the forest surroundings once more. When a figure stepped into the small clearing, looking more tense then he, he grew quiet, sometimes humans were just as dangerous as the living dead, if not more so.

The man beneath him had enough weapons to spare, but he doubted the other was willing to share. "You there. What are you doing out here?" The man in that tattered uniform jumped at the sound of another voice, his gun at the ready as he looked for the source. "Show yourself! No surprises or I'll shoot you dead. I'm not playing games." He could tell that the threat was a serious one and knew instantly that he should tread carefully with this one. "No surprises, no games. I can just tell you're on your own, so am I. My name is Inuyasha, in case you're curious. In a show of good will and honesty, I'm above you, in a tree." Inuyasha kept his eyes trained on the man below him as sharp blue eyes found what they looked for, gun trained on it's target. "Okay Inuyasha, get down here before I get you down myself."

Inuyasha lept down from the branches and landed in front of the gun wielding stranger, all the while hoping he hadn't made a mistake by speaking to him "What, no introduction back? I mean I know it's the end of the world, but that's no excuse for not having manners." The man's face didn't change nor did he move to lower the weapon he had trained on Inuyasha's head. "Cut the shit, Inuyasha. This ain't no cocktail party. What the hell do you want from me? The last group that wanted my help, took my guns and threw me into a ditch. You can't be kind in this world, so cut to the chase." This man wasn't playing any games and on closer inspection, his worn uniform was that of the military. His badge was dirty, but he could still make out the name. "I don't want to steal from you, not after all the things you've seen, you can lower your weapon Lieutenant Kotetsu."

Confusion washed over his hard expression, as he tried to figure out how this stranger learned his name. "This isn't a game you want to play with me, I'm not someone to be messing with. You can't just..." His sentence trailed off as his eyes returned to that hard stare, he put his gun away, and pulled out a knife. It barely registered to Inuyasha what was going on, he had only a moment to think that this was how he was going to die. He pinched his eyes shut just as the knife had left the soldier's hand, he could feel it whiz past him as it flew by his face, the thud of a body that dropped to the ground, caused him to open his eyes. "You...you just saved me..." The body of the decayed corpse laid but a few feet away from Inuyasha. "Don't go getting all soft on me. I was only saving myself, so don't go thinking I'm some kind of hero. If I was, the world wouldn't be in the state it's in."

The lieutenant walked past him to retrieve his knife from the skull of his latest kill and Inuyasha couldn't help but notice the trembling in his hand. "You don't have to talk to me Kotetsu, but we really should stick together. We'll last longer if we can rest and you look more tired than I do." There was no response, merely just a short pause in movements, before the strange man continued his walk into the trees. "If you stay quiet, I'm gonna take it as an invitation to follow. So what's it gonna be Kotetsu?" Inuyasha could hear the other man sigh indignantly, as he treked forward. "Do what you want Inuyasha, but just know that if you try to fuck me over, I will kill you. Also, stop calling me Kotetsu, that's my last name." Inuyasha trailed behind him, getting rather irritated with the guy he happened across in the woods. "What else am I supposed to call you then?" The response he was given was frank and short. "Koga."

Meanwhile outside another small town, a young man searched for provisions he could use to survive. His midnight black hair, messy and unkempt fell in front of his indigo eyes, which were still sharp and focused. The farmer quickly learned to take care of himself after his father went out to hunt and never came home. Survival became much more difficult when he was forced to leave his family home and ranch, with nothing more but a small travel pack. Those people had no right to threaten him off his land, unfortunately for him, he was alone and couldn't fight off the group without help. The shuffling sound of feet and low groans brought him out of his thoughts, just as one of the dead knocked him off his feet, and caused him to drop his knife. He mentally berated himself for not paying more attention to his surroundings, as he feared that this was the end for him.

He dragged himself away from the hungry corpse, as he groped for something to use as a weapon. He kicked the soulless body away from his face and moved to keep himself as far from it's teeth as possible. The once living being, bit down near his side, and grasped his shirt between rotting teeth. Panic swelled up and adrenaline kicked in, as he grabbed up the first solid object he could find. The rock made contact with skull as he swung his arm with all the might he could muster, causing blackened blood to splatter on his face and clothes. He shoved the limp and disgustingly decomposed body off of him, then leaned against a fallen tree to calm down before he moved on. That idea hadn't lasted long though, moments later the shrill sound of a young woman's scream pierced the air, and caused another quick jolt of panic. He wanted to just go in the opposite direction of the screams, unsure of whether or not it was just a trap. He was actually just about to start his journey away from the noise, when his mother's voice entered his thoughts. _"Just because the world is in chaos, does not mean you too should let chivalry die."_

So even though it was against his better judgement, he discovered himself taking his mother's advice, as he turned back to help the terrified young lady. He scooped up his dropped weapon and ran towards the cries, as he hoped he would get there before it was too late. Upon arrival, he discovered the lady up in a tree, her feet dangled just above the undead's reach. He pulled out his knife and crept up on the girl's attacker and plunged the knife into it's head, rendering it lifeless. "You need to jump down, I'm sure your screaming has gotten the attention of these things. So let's get moving or you can stay up there and be on your own." He knew that his words may have been a little harsh, but he also realized that they didn't have much time to be standing around. What he hadn't expected was her jumping onto him, she landed with a thud, which left him pinned down in the grass on his back. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you absolutely crazy? I have a knife in my hand." The girl just laughed as she climbed off of him, that left the young man confused and with thoughts of her being strange. "It's not every day a girl runs into such a handsome guy, I had to take my chances and get a closer look. Hi, I'm Kagome."

She held her hand down for him to take, in a gesture of friendship. He slowly took it and she helped him get back on his feet as the sound of aimless steps resonated through the area. "It's nice to meet you and all Kagome, but if you don't want your pretty little face to get eaten, I suggest we get moving. Okay?" He could tell they were being surrounded so he pulled himself into a leafy tree, in near silence, before he reached down a hand that offered Kagome assistance. He lifted her into the branches with minimal effort, then put a finger to his lips in a sign of silence. Kagome had obliged to his wordless instruction, but remained curious as to who he was. She stared at him as he eyed the undead that wandered around beneath them, in search of human flesh. The distance between them grew, as the undead stumbled further away from the tree the two were concealed in.

Kagome had finally decided to speak out, her soft voice barely above a whisper, her eyes still trained on the kind stranger seated beside her. "Who are you?" He eyed her skeptically, which made his distrust for people quite evident, but his look softened once he recognized her innocence. "You can call me, Miroku. How did you manage to get way out here on your own, with no weapons?" Her gaze broke from him instantly, she was afraid of what he would do when he found out that she had nothing useful to offer. "I was with a group of people, I'm not of much help, I don't know how to fight or shoot a gun. So they brought me out here and abandoned me." Miroku instantly knew he should do the same, but soon realized he didn't have that kind of cruelty in him. "Stick with me, I'll show you the ropes. You have got to learn to protect yourself in this world. First though, we have to make it to my uncle's place. I need to see if his weapons bunker is still there. You with me?" She nodded in relief, happy she had come across someone who was willing to help her, not just leave her for dead.

Koga had been moving through the woods paces ahead of Inuyasha, as he hoped the latter would give up on the notion of following him. "You certainly dislike leisure, you haven't broken your stride for even a moment. Want a piece of jerky? It's not much, but at least it's something." The ex-soldier whirled on him quickly, his face showed every ounce of irritation. "Why the hell are you even still trailing me? Don't you ever give up? I'm better off alone." Inuyasha hadn't been prepared for the outburst, but had somehow kept the surprise hidden, as he instead rolled his amber eyes. "Stop being so stubborn, we're safest in groups and accepting help isn't a bad thing. You don't have to like me or tell me your life story, but we should stick together for the time being. Now take the jerky and shut up." He held out the food to his furious and unwilling partner, who seemed to be reeling back a second tempermental outburst, before he finally snatched the food being offered to him. Koga continued the journey, to no where in particular, as he mumbled complaints under his breath in low growls. "Who died and left him in charge? The arrogant prick, thinking he can tell me what to do. See if I save his ass again..."

It wasn't as though the other couldn't hear what was being said, he just chose when to pick his battles, opting to let him complain seemed easier than starting a fight. With that being decided, Inuyasha munched contentedly on his piece of dried meat, letting the insults go right in one ear and out the other. "So where did you get all those weapons?" Koga scoffed at the question he was asked, as he thought it to be stupid and the answer to be obvious. "You are a moron. You know what I used to be, what I did. Military personnel are given access to all kinds of weapons, when my battalion was wiped out, I took what I needed. Are you always this clueless?" Having had grown tired of this guy's attitude, Inuyasha had finally taken enough crap. "Are you always this much of an asshole. I'm just trying to make conversation with you. Sheesh, it's not that you're better off alone, more like no one can stand your company for more than five minutes. Good God, you're pretentious." Inuyasha could read body language well enough to know he had pissed the other man off, not that he cared, the guy had deserved it.

"If you dislike my company so much, why don't you leave me alone? I am not forcing you to stay with me, I'd actually prefer it if you would stay the hell away from me. You'll probably get in my way and be of little help." He tossed Inuyasha a gun, which was caught swiftly, his blue eyes flamed with anger, and his mouth was set in a firm line. "That's all you wanted from me, right? Now that you got it, get out of my way." It would be just his luck to run into the biggest asshole on this planet, this time Inuyasha wouldn't hold his tongue. "I didn't want your guns, the noise just attracts more of the undead anyway. I thought we could help each other, get some much needed rest. I was right to call you stubborn, your hard head will get you into trouble, and there will be no one there to help you." Once he was finished speaking his mind, Inuyasha let the quiet linger between them, which allowed his words to sink in. "Do what you want, Inuyasha. I'm not the only bullheaded one in this vicinity, so you aren't exactly one to talk."

The words Koga spoke were entirely true, but Inuyasha had already known he was stubborn, so he didn't argue. "So are we gonna work together and survive this hell or are you gonna die alone? What's it going to be, Kotetsu?" Koga didn't want to admit that he wanted help or warn Inuyasha that if he stayed that he could be in more danger than being on his own. "You can stay with me, but it's at your own risk." The lieutenants warning was vague and odd, but Inuyasha pushed it away and followed after him anyway. "You're gonna learn to like me or at least tolerate me. I'm a pretty good shot, not too bad at hunting, and I'm quick on my toes." Koga glanced over his shoulder, as he tried to keep the annoyed look on his face. "I'm sure you are. I am not doubting your skill at all, you've survived this long for a reason. I also have nothing against you at all and you're right. I apologize for my rudeness, it wasn't intended. Keep the gun and let's get moving, I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this place."

Inuyasha fell into step beside Koga, as they walked in silence. He had a lot of questions, but knew it was better not to throw them all at him at once. "Where are we headed?" "My bunker." Koga's response left him more curious than anything else, but he let the silence fall back around them. "Have you happened across any others?" Inuyasha was shocked that the nearly mute soldier had broken the lull in conversation to ask a question. "Just you man, I was beginning to think I was the last one alive. Scary thought to have, lonely too. Wonder if there's anyone else near by that we could trust and team up with." The shrug of his shoulders were a bit stiff and ridged, for the first time since the inu youkai joined the wolf demon, he noticed that the latter was still clutching a weapon. Had he never put the knife away, that was when Inuyasha decided to try and take the blade from the guy's tight grip.

He reached for his hand, the moment he touched the handle, Koga whirled around on him grabbing his arm. The lieutenant spun the unprepared man around and pulled him into a deadly hold, as he pressed the knife to his throat. "What kind of shit do you think you're pulling, mutt? You keep your hands to your damn self or I will destroy you." In one fluid motion, the dog demon flipped Koga, and pinned him down with his foot. "Chill out, wolf. I was just trying to get you to calm down and put the weapon away. You don't gotta threaten me." The shock did register on his face at his current position, no one had ever bested him before. "What the hell were you before all this started?" A smug smile spread across his face, amber eyes bright with pride. "I was a SWAT officer, sharp shooter. You aren't the only hero and badass." Inuyasha lifted his foot off Koga's chest, which allowed him to get back on his feet, and he quietly brushed the dirt from his uniform. "I'm no hero. We couldn't stop this outbreak, we tried, but we failed so terribly. My squad let the whole world down, now look at how bad things got. No, I am not a hero, not at all."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, all right to the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter Two

The old trailer was in shambles, holes marred the walls and nothing was left untouched. His uncle wasn't around, there was no way to even know if the man was still alive. "Well, let's hope no one found his stash of guns and hunting gear." Miroku wasn't sure why he tried to talk to the young lady so often, she rarely spoke and was far too jumpy. Just as he predicted, she nodded silently, her eyes wide at the sight of blood and decomposed bodies. "Kagome?" He had stopped in the grassy expanse of land and took her chin in his hand to make her look at him. "You have got to calm down, if you keep letting all the awful things you see get to you, you will never survive." He could visibly see her try to relax, but her face still read of fear and discomfort. "How can I calm down? Are you totally numb to the horrors around you now? I watched those things eat my college mates, I don't know if my family is still alive because I can't get home, and I don't have it in me to kill others."

He took in their surroundings with a trained eye, aware of the young lady's volume. "Can you at least try to talk quietly, those things, as you called them, follow noise. I get that you are scared, but you have to loosen up, as to not panic." Kagome couldn't believe the nerve of this guy, it wasn't that easy. "Stop telling me what to do! I'll be as loud as I want!" That settled it, he knew she was completely insane now. The stress had proved too much for her and she had completely and utterly lost her damn mind. "Shut the hell up, Kagome. I'm not playing with you. If you want my help, you better listen to me." She did need his help, but she was not about to let him disrespect her either. "You really have some nerve, talking to me like that. I bet you've never been good with women, still single too, I bet. And to think I thought you were cute. You're..." He had cut her off before she came close to finishing that last sentence. "Oh holy hell..." His words trailed off before he took her wrist and started to run, nearly tripping Kagome in the process.

"Slow down, Miroku. I can't keep up." It was then that the young girl decided to sneak a glance behind them and the sight terrified her. Maybe she should have heeded the young man's advice and had been quieter. "Is this why the last group you were with left you? Damn you're reckless." His words had stung a little. Would he leave her behind too if they managed to get out of this alive? They came to a stop in the middle of the yard and Kagome believed that he had decided to give up on an escape. Her thoughts proved wrong when the guy practically threw her down into a celler. He latched the large lock behind them, his breaths coming out in quick puffs. "Next time you better listen to me or I'll leave you behind as lunch." He pulled a cord, that hung from a light fixture. The bulbs dim light illuminated just enough to brighten the center of the room, leaving the corners dark.

His voice dripped with anger and she had rightfully deserved his scolding gaze, so she opted to stay quiet. The sounds of nails scrapping against the wooden door, seemed to echo in the silence. The undead knew they were down here and there was no other way out. She was on the verge of panic, while Miroku gathered up things in a duffle bag. Knives, an axe, swords, guns, ammo, arrows, a bow and a couple crossbows. He threw that over his shoulder, before grabbing another bag and filling it with water bottles and some dried foods. "Take this." His words were hushed and she obliged, he motioned for her to follow him, and they hid beneath the stairs. "Just stay quiet. There was only five of them, so we have a chance. Make a break for it as soon as you get an opening." He grew silent as he saw something catch the soft light of the bulb, he reached for the item and the brass felt familiar to his touch.

The celler door splintered from the weight of the bodies that stood upon it, sunlight flooded in as the undead crashed to the floor. "Run!" This time Kagome listened, she moved as quickly as her legs would carry her. She climbed those steps faster than she thought she could and she didn't stop running, until she reached a tree, and was safely perched on its branches. Out of breath, she looked down in search of Miroku, only to discover he was nowhere to be seen. Had he been bitten?

The crack of another skull sounded in his ears as the last body dropped to the ground with a thud. In his right hand he clutched his father's shakujo staff, he couldn't have asked for a better weapon. He calmly walked up the steps, in hopes of finding his travel companion waiting for him at the top. She was no where near by and he could only think that she was off safely hiding somewhere. He thought about calling out to her, but knew better. Yelling would only draw out more of the walking dead and put the girl into more danger. It wasn't like she could have gone too far, she had to be somewhere near by. With that thought in mind the young man headed towards the tree line, he found her in a tree when they first met, and he was sure he'd find her there again.

Inuyasha was rather surprised to find where this guy had been holed up, it was clever to say the least. He would have never guessed that this old water tower would be empty or that it would be a rather perfect hiding spot. "How long have you been staying in here, man?" Koga dropped his pack onto the floor and took a seat upon a sleeping bag. "I can't really say, I lost track of the days a long time ago, but it's been quite a while. You can stay here or go, it's your choice to make." He could tell that there was something odd about the ex solider, but at the current moment this was his best bet. "I think I'll stick around for now, I'm tired and need the rest." Amber eyes once again took notice of the fact that the other man still clutched the hunting knife in a tight grip. "You ever put that thing down?" Koga didn't answer the inquirey, instead he tossed a sleeping bag towards him. "There. Go ahead and get some sleep."

Inuyasha began to wonder if he had gotten himself tied up with a killer lunatic, that planned on slitting his throat, and feeding him to a pack of zombies. "I'd be more at ease if you put the knife away." A snarky laugh was given as his first response, before his blue eyes went hard. "Don't sneak up on me, don't wake me up, and never pull a weapon on me. If you follow these simple instructions, you'll never end up on the sharp end of my blade. Got it?" The tension only grew, as curosity about the military man deepened. His behavior was slightly alarming, but Inuyasha really did need some much deserved rest. "Whatever you say, Koga. You don't need to get so worked up about it. You seriously have some problems."

Even though an unease settled in his stomach, the sleeping bag was rolled out, and the tired man laid down to get some sleep. The heavy silence lingered and Inuyasha became too aware of the other man's presence. "You gonna get some sleep too or just sit there holding that knife?" His sensitive ears picked up the sound of shuffling, as the person in question laid down as well. Inuyasha remained motionless for some time, as he pretended to be asleep, after several long minutes of uninterrupted stillness, he snuck a glance over his shoulder. Koga slept, what seemed to be deeply, the knife still held in his right hand. He understood him carrying it outside, but he couldn't figure out why he felt the need to keep it clutched while being up here. There was definitely something not quite right with this guy's head and he would figure out what it was.

The sun had set quicker than he thought it would and he had yet to find Kagome. He guessed when he told her to run, she did, and she just didn't stop. He couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of her still running, it was a nicer thought than the alternative. He was about to give up on the notion of finding her and the much needed provisions he had her carrying, when the weight of a body fell onto his back, which nearly knocked him off his feet. His survival instincts kicked in as he reached his arm behind him, grabbed the things ankle, he pulled hard, and sent the body to the ground. "Ow, don't be so rough, Miroku. I was just so happy to see that you hadn't left me behind or gotten bitten." He turned around and looked down, to find the young lady on her back in the dew covered grass. "For the love of Kami, you about scared me to death, Kagome. You can't keep leaping out of trees and onto me."

He offered the girl a hand and helped her to her feet. She giggled slightly and shrugged her slim shoulders. "It was worth it, you have some pretty nice muscle under that old and dirty shirt. You plan on washing it in a river sometime soon?" He gaped at her for a moment, she couldn't possibly be saying any of this, just hours early, she had berated him about how he treated her and was about to say something negative about his looks. "You need help...and lots of it..." He looked her over, just to make sure she hadn't hit her head somewhere, when he noticed something was missing. "Kagome, where is the bag I gave you?" An expression of confusion covered her features for a moment, before it registured what he was talking about.

Her brown eyes moved upward as she spoke. "Oh that, I left it up there. I forgot about it once I saw you." This woman was exhausting and he was beginning to think the chilvary wasn't worth the risk. He pushed the concept of leaving her on her own away, it was obvious she couldn't make it alone. Instead he pulled himself into the tree, to retrieve the bag, Upon grabbing it he found it to be lighter, so he opened the pack and peered inside. "Kagome, what the hell?" She glanced down at her feet in a guilty manner and began to kick at a tree root. "You took so long getting back to me. I got a little hungry and thirsty, I made sure not to eat it all." Five out of eight water bottles remained, he didn't even dare count the dried fruit, jerky, or trail mix. His eye twitched slightly with annoyance as he climbed down, once back on the ground, he glared at her. "I hope you realize that you ate most of all the food I had. How can you be so..."

He cut himself off, he didn't want to hurt her feelings, and she was already becoming teary eyed. "I'm sorry. I thought you had been eaten and I was scared and alone. I wasn't thinking. Are you mad at me?" Admittedly he was angry with her for being so clueless, but at the same time, he tried to remain understanding. "No, it's okay. We'll find more provisions. Just...be more aware of your choices next time." She nodded her head wordlessly, the shamed looked still on her face. "We need to find a safe place to bed down for the night. Come on, lets get moving." She took his order and fell into step beside him, still looking as guilty as a child caught with her hand in a cookie jar.

She had managed to save the man's life, at the loss of his left arm, but it was better than becoming one of those mindless undead. "There, apply this ointment to the sutures, those will dissolve once the wound is healed, change the bandages out as frequently as you can. Here are a few pain pills, I can't give you many, because my supplies are running low, so only take them when you are in dire need of them. If you can stand the pain, try not to take it." The man's stoic face remained calm throughtout the whole procedure and he hadn't made a single complaint. She would never had imagined this white haired man to have a young girl in his company, nor could she see him getting bitten easily either.

His cold golden eyes, glance at the nub where his extremity used to be. "Well, I am grateful for your help, Miss, but we must get moving." He stood gracefully, his features unchanging, she couldn't even tell if he was in pain. "Come Rin, let us go." The girl stood as well and she loyally followed after the man that had given her no name. "Yes sir, I'm right behind you." Kohaku opened the back door for them, letting them out into the chaos ridden world, and promptly locked it behind them. "Well done, Sango. You saved him from that nasty virus." Sango merely shook her head in response, she did what she could, but unfortunately it would never be enough. People were scared and vicious, she couldn't leave maps to this place so people could find her. It would leave her and her brother open to attacks from people who needed first aid supplies.

"There's so many others out there that need help, but I won't reach them in time. I took an oath to save lives, Kohaku, but I'm not sure I am doing enough these days." She paced the floors in aggravation, she didn't know how much help she was while hidden behind the four walls. "Kagura, Kikyou, and Hojo are out searching for others in need of your help, they'll bring them here if they find someone." Her brother was right, that was how things were arranged, she stayed here and the team brought the patients to her. "I know you all want to keep me safe, but it would be quicker if I was there, I could work on them on the spot. No long trip to get here, no risk of them dying on the way to my make shift office." Kohaku had heard all of this before, his sister wanted to do more, but she was doing enough. "You know how risky it would be to do long medical procedures outside, being here is not only safer for you, but for the others as well." She wordlessly conceded to him, aware that this was the same talk they had had on every occasion she felt this way, and he was still right.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, all right to the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter Three

The last few nights had been pretty hard for Miroku, he wasn't used to helping someone so helpless before. He couldn't really leave her alone to hunt, the idea of him leaving her scared her, she didn't want something to happen to him. He hadn't eaten in two days, instead he let Kagome have the last of the food in the pack. The exhaustion was starting to show, they had to find something safer than abandoned cabins to stay in. "You okay, Miroku? You look like you could faint at any second." She could hear him take a deep breath and could sense his irritation. "I'm fine. We just need to find a place to bed down in, where you feel safe enough, so I can go hunt. We're both hungry and need to eat to keep our energy up." It was then that Kagome saw two men ahead of them, she nervously pointed them out to Miroku.

Normally he would have fallen back, not every living person could be trusted, and he was unsure if he should even appproach them. If his situation had been different, he would have avoided the two men, but he was in desperate need of help with the girl. "They might be of some assistance to us or maybe they'll know of a place for us to go for a few days." His voice was soft and weighted with a quiet doubt, but she had no other choice but to follow him. "Okay, but we should be careful." He nodded a wordless consent, the young lady was right, but they couldn't keep going like they were. He forced the duffle full of weapons into her hand, if things turned ugly, she could run and have something to offer to a group willing to help her.

He signalled for Kagome to hang back slightly as they came closer to the two men, he got close enough to hear the two argue. "I thought you bragged about being a sharp shooter, but you missed the buck. If you don't contribute then you have to leave. I'm not taking care of you." The man with the white hair just chuckled, as though he was used to the darker haired man's attitude. "I'm better with a gun, swat doesn't use crossbows, I'll get the hang of it." Had they even heard him approach, he didn't want to startle the two, so he had to address them with caution. "Excuse me..." He lightly placed his hand on the brown haired man's shoulder, when the approched whirled around, Miroku knew he had made a mistake.

Inuyasha hadn't reacted as recklessly as Koga had, instead he was angry at what the other man had just done. "Koga! What the hell?! He didn't mean us any harm!" It took the ex military man a moment to comprehend what he had done, as his blue eyes became clear. For the first time since Inuyasha had met him, Koga let go of the knife, but it didn't fall to the grassy land. A black haired girl ran up to the man, grabbing him just before he fell. "Why did you do that? Miroku, oh kami, I have to get you help." The shock was still on his face and it took a while for him to feel the pain, he had a knife in his side. Koga took a few steps back and the shaking returned to his hands. "I..I didn't mean to do that...it...it was an accident. This is, this is why I shouldn't be around people."

The guilt he felt was obvious, but they had to help the young man now, it would be wrong to just leave him here. "Help me carry him back to your hide out, we have got to dress the wound and get him some help. We have to at least try." The two men helped the injured one to his feet, Miroku groaned in protest, but they had to get him some where safe. "Don't let me turn, I don't want to go out like that." Inuyasha nodded stiffly, he couldn't understand what had gotten into Koga. "You're not going to change, we're going to help you get better." Kagome couldn't help but notice, that her violet eyed ally, had grown very pale. "You guys are hurting him. You should be more careful." The man with the amber eyes looked at the terrified girl and he felt bad seeing the fear in her big doe like eyes. "We don't want to leave him out in the open, we have to move him to keep him safe. You'll be safe where we're going. Come on."

It had been a challenge to get Miroku up the ladder and into the water tower and by the time they had reached the haven, he had lost a lot of blood. "Don't let me change..." Inuyasha had heard his plea more than once and it became hard to hear by this point, he heard the girl reply. "You're not going to turn into one of those things, these guys are going to help you." She sounded so unsure, but she held his hand tightly, as though if she let it go, he would slip away. "I'm going to remove the knife, so we can dress the wound properly. It's gonna hurt like a bitch." He shook his head no, his skin white and damp with sweat. "We have to, just hold your friends hand and grit your teeth. You won't make it through the night, if we leave it there." Koga knew why the man was bleeding so much, his training had him taught to stab and twist. War changes a man.

Koga took the knife's hilt back in his hand, his fingers numb, and quickly pulled the blade from the flesh. "Gah, why don't you just kill me now? I'm not gonna get help in time." Inuyasha grabbed the first aid supplies and stuffed the bloody wound with gauze, before helping the man sit up, and wrapping him tightly with bandage. Koga gave him one of the few pain pills he had, before the injured fell into an unpeaceful sleep. Inuyasha took a seat by the young woman, with the plan of helping ease her worry. "You called your friend, Miroku, but I never did quite catch your name." She looked up at Inuyasha with, tear filled, chocolate brown eyes. "Oh, I'm Kagome and yes, this is Miroku. He's been helping me out, more than he should have. I don't really know how to survive in this world now. Who are you guys and why did you two do this?"

It was a fair enough question, she had a right to know, but he didn't know why Koga did it. "I don't know what got into, Koga. It was like someone else took over him, I don't think he meant to hurt your friend. We're going to see if we can find some help for him, you have to stay with him, and if he stops breathing you have to stop him from turning. You're gonna need a knife to do that. The easiest place to penatrate is the temple, if you don't do it, he'll become one of those monsters. I know you're scared, but you'll have to do it to survive." Kagome's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat, as she shook her head no, vehemently. "No, I can't do that. He's my friend. How could I just stab him like that?" He took her hand in his, in an attempt to calm her down, as he wondered if she had killed anything. "He asked us to do it if he dies, it's what he wanted. You have got to get stronger if you want to survive." He handed her a knife, in case she needed to use one, just before he got up to join Koga outside.

Koga had been pacing beneath the tower for several minutes, his thoughts racing through his mind in tidal waves. He was mentally berating himself for what he had done to Miroku, he can't keep reacting first and thinking later. He was so distracted by his thoughts, that he hadn't heard the footsteps of the hanyou as he approached. "Koga, what is wrong with you? Why did you do that?" Inuyasha could see him become tense, but he forced himself to turn around calmly, after he recognized the voice, his reply was quiet. "I thought by now that it would be obvious. All of this hell was the trigger for it, my PTSD." It all made sense now, every odd quirk made complete sense. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? I would have understood you better, if you had. I know war has some negative effects on some people, on most people actually." Blue eyes locked on the man before him, his face serious yet calm. "It wasn't the war, Inuyasha, it was coming home."

Inuyasha didn't know how going home could cause something as serious as post traumatic stress disorder. The two started their journey, to find help for Miroku, in near silence. It didn't take long for the curiousity to get the best of Inuyasha, he had to know what happened. "You said going home triggered it. Why? What happened?" His inquirey seemed to make the wolf demon uncomfortable, the blue eyed gaze had gone distant. "Were you ever married, Inuyasha?" The subject change was sudden and caught the inu youkai off guard, as he wasn't sure what this had to do with anything. "No, I wasn't." Koga touched the silver band that he wore on his ring finger, something Inuyasha had never noticed before. "I was married, had a son too, but that was before..."

The sentence trailed off, a sad air kept his normally gruff voice soft, which merely piqued his interest more. "You lost them?" "I killed them." He picked up the pace now, as he tried to put up his wall again, but the other man wasn't gonna let his ally leave it like that. "What happened?" The shoulders beneath the tattered uniform, slumped, and for the first time since they met, Koga let his guard down. "I tried to get home to them, but I was too late. I couldn't save them, I let my family down. You won't know how hard it is to stare into the unfocused eyes of a loved one, that doesn't remember who you are anymore. You are nothing but prey to them, I had to shoot my wife and son, to save myself. Something in me snapped that day, I just went numb. When I was faced with my wife trying to kill me, her face familiar yet not. My son was locked in his room, he died waiting to be saved and turned while still being locked in his room. He starved to death, in his own home. Waiting for his mother to tell him it was safe, waiting for me to come save him. I've never experienced anything more painful than pulling the trigger on my own family."

Koga kept his back to Inuyasha, his voice trembled as he told of his real life nightmare, and Inuyasha knew there was nothing he could say to make him feel better. "Inuyasha, don't let yourself care about anyone, don't let your heart love. It'll only kill part of you, when your behind the barrel pointing a gun at a friend, a lover...finger on the trigger. Spare yourself that pain." Inuyasha was about to respond when a man and two women stepped out of the trees, hands raised in a show of peace. "We are in search of the injured. Do either of you need any medical help?" The two groups stood feet away from each other, when Inuyasha let out a quick sigh of relief. "We're fine, but we're looking for someone to save a young man in desperate need of help. We can take you to him, but he can't be moved again." The three strangers exchanged glances and quiet words, before they turned their attention back to the two men. "You'll have to speak with Dr Saimota, she'll decide if she wants to make the trip. Please follow us."

Kagome had been seated in the heavy silence, for what felt like hours now, and Miroku had only seemed to be getting worse. "You're gonna be feeling as good as new in no time. I'm sure they'll be back any minute now." Miroku smiled up at her weakly, his indigo eyes foggy and a little unfocused. "Don't lose your optimism, Kagome. I find it to be refreshing and it gives people hope." She could tell that speaking took a lot of energy and his voice was so soft. "You've never said anything that nice to me before, I think I could get used to this side of you." She dipped the damp cloth back into the cool water and rang it out, before she placed it back on his forehead. He felt so warm, but he shivered from the cold crisp November air. "Will you be able to do it, if I stop breathing?" He eyed the knife she had set aside, as soon as Inuyasha had left. "You're going to keep breathing, so I won't need to."

He had expected her to say something like that, the girl always looked on the brightside, but he was a realist. "I wonder how long people we'll even be able to survive in this world. Do we even stand a chance?" Her smile faltered and she tried to force another smile, but found she couldn't replace the frown. "I don't know, I'd like to think we do, but no one knows the answers anymore. If we can find a safe place to start over. We don't even know if the breakout was worldwide." The girl pushed the knife further away from them as her hands trembled, the dark thoughts now on her mind. "Kagome, you have got to learn how to take care of yourself. If I get better, I'll teach you how to shoot with a bow. If I don't make it, have Inuyasha teach you how to take down those monsters. You have to know how to keep yourself alive." His voice was becoming slower, the sleepy rasp draped over his words, before he slowly drifted off. Kagome watched with a worried stare, she sat in a hushed fear, praying to herself that his chest would continue to rise and fall with his breaths. "Please hurry, Inuyasha..."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, all right to the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter Four

Inuyasha was sure they would have never found the tiny make shift hospital, without the help of the three strangers. Part of him had been surprised that none of the group had spoken a word and he could tell that this had Koga on edge. The young human man, went up to the door, and knocked on it quietly. He could hear someone by the door, just before a teenaged boy peaked from between the curtains. Moments later the locks clicked and the door was opened to the five of them. "Please come in." Koga stepped off the porch quietly, his distrust getting the better of him. "I better wait out here, strange places mess with my mind." The statement sounded odd to all but Inuyasha, he'd have to explain it to them anyway. The four walked through the door and left Koga alone to relax in privacy.

"Welcome." The teenagers greeting was short, but his voice was friendly and warm. "Are you hurt, sir?" Inuyasha shook his head no, while he hoped they weren't too late, he knew they had to hurry. "No, I'm fine. We just know where a man is, that is in desperate need of help. We can take you to him, but we have to get moving soon, before he dies." It was then that a woman stepped into the room, the certainty on her face was obvious. "Then you must take me to him." The strangers began to panic at the idea of the doctor leaving the little home. "You aren't supposed to leave the safety of the office. If you get hurt you won't be able to help anyone." Sango had to remind her friends of her purpose of being a doctor, if she didn't aid the injured, no one would. "Kikyou, I have to go help him. It's my responsibility to save lives and if that means I have to take some risks, I will." Inuyasha took a couple steps back, when the one called Kikyou and the young human male had begun to loudly convince the doctor to stay, and he was sure the noise was like a beacon.

The surgeon approached Inuyasha, he could tell she was curious about who needed help and her concern was obvious. "Please, tell me. What kind of condition is the man in? Has he been bitten?" This was the moment of truth, he didn't know if she would agree to help once she found out that one of the men she would be travelling with could be dangerous. "My friend out there is a military man, he's seen a lot of hell, the man who needs help, Miroku, surprised us. Koga, my friend, just reacted his PTSD got the better of him, he stabbed him. If we don't get him help soon, he'll die, and my friend will be riddled with guilt. Will you please help us save Miroku?" The woman's face took on a look of determination, it told him what she would say before she said it aloud. "I will, it's my job to save lives. Just let me get my supplies." She grabbed a large duffle bag, as she left the room, her actions only caused two of her four companions to talk even louder. The teenaged boy tried to get them to lower their voices, he pleaded with them in vain to just let Sango make her own decisions.

Sango returned to the main room, her bag on her shoulder, a hunting knife in a holder on her hip. "Stop all the bickering, I have made up my mind, you two can either stay here, or make the trip along with us, but I am going to help that man." The wolf demon that waited outside, pounded his fist on the door loudly, he warned the people within the house in an urgent voice. "Thanks to all the yelling in there, we're being surrounded. Better get moving." The tension in the room thickened, as the scent of fear became very evident to the half demon. "Come on, we have to move fast. You all have weapons, right?" The others nodded, then took their knives from a drawer that was pulled open by the youngest person in the group. Hopefully this group was trustworthy, they didn't even know all their names, and yet they would be fighting the undead together.

The door was flung open by the woman with blood red eyes, knife at the ready, she plunged it into the cranium of a hungry zombie, it crumbled to the porch. She calmly stepped over the corpse and made her way to the overgrown yard, the doctor right behind her. The teen stayed behind Inuyasha, his hands trembled and his wide eyes took in every terrifying face. Inuyasha turned to him, he grinned in a confident way, in an attempt to put the boy at ease. "I've got your back, relax." A scream pierced the air, the feminine cry came from behind, and the hanyou instantly recognized the sound of pain and panic. The teen looked back to see Kikyou losing a fight to the undead, teeth tore away flesh, as the cries faded away. The older man of the group paled, the fear drove him back into the house, he slammed the door closed, and sealed his fate. The door wouldn't keep the hoard out for long, the remaining members slipped into the woods, and left the danger behind.

Koga looked back towards the house, his normally dull eyes held an air of sadness and guilt, as he shook his head. "I'm sorry that you lost one of your friends, I couldn't hold them all off alone." Sango wiped the tears from her cheeks, she didn't know how much more death she could take. "It wasn't your fault, we were the ones making all the noise, not you. Kohaku, Kagura, I don't think we will be able to return to the house. I hope Hojo will be okay." Part of her knew he wouldn't make it out alive, but the optimistic side lied, telling her that he would somehow escape. She wanted to believe her bright side, but knew better than to dwell on the matter, she had another life to save.

Kagome bit her lip in a nervous manner, she had thought they would be back by now. Miroku had grown so cold, the chilly night air had made it's way inside, which caused the injured man to shiver violently. He had grown restless and his breaths came out in pained gasps, his hair stuck to his forehead, that was damp with sweat, and the blood stained the white bandages crimson. She gently stroked his hair, she hummed in a soft and soothing way, and blinked back tears as he winced at her touch. "They'll be back any minute, Miroku, you just have to hang on a little bit longer." Violet eyes fluttered open, the gaze unfocused and hazy, a hand that shook moved to be placed on the wound, which enticed a gasp to escape from his lips. The sticky red liquid instantly clung to his hand, the worry flooded back at the sight, she took his other icy hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm so cold." His voice came out strained and raspy, his whole body shook in a feeble attempt to chase away the cold. Kagome's brown eyes scanned the contents of the small and dry water tower, until her gaze landed on a quilt that was neatly folded and placed next to a rolled out sleeping bag. She got to her feet in quick and fluid movements and crossed the wooden floors and grabbed the blanket, before she returned to cover Miroku in hopes of keeping him warm. "There. I'll do everything I can to keep you comfortable until they get back with help, which should be soon. So just hang in there for a little bit longer. Okay." The smile he gave her was weak, but the small spark in his eyes gave her the hope she needed to believe that he would make it.

The minutes passed by, but to her, every second felt like an hour. Miroku fell into a restless sleep, his breathing slow and uneven, he wouldn't make it through the night at this rate. Just when things couldn't seem to get any worse, Inuyasha entered the water tower with Koga and three strangers, help had finally arrived, and just in the knick of time. The woman with soft brown eyes made her way over to Miroku and pulled back the quilt. Miroku mumbled in protest, needing the warmth the blanket had supplied, she smiled softly at him as he looked up at her, and lightly rubbed his cheek. "Hi Miroku. I'm Sango and I'm here to help." Koga glanced over at them, he eyed the quilt, and the rage flashed on his face, he balled his hands into tight fists, before going outside. The white haired hanyou followed after him, he found Koga pacing on the platform, his steps leading no where.

Inuyasha was confused by the wolf's anger fueled actions, unsure of what had even set him off, he approached him with caution. "What's wrong?" Koga turned to him, emotions flooded through him, and changed his demeanor with each passing second, his body twitched with rage and his eyes were misty with sadness. "That quilt. It's mine. I didn't say he could use it and now it's ruined." The youkai's actions seemed a bit unwarrented to Inuyasha, they could wash it off in a river or something, a stain wouldn't make a quilt any less warm. "So it's a little dirty, it'll still cover you up. No reason to freak out, maybe we could find another quilt in an abandoned store." Koga frowned then returned to his pacing, the anger on his face still darkening his features, the rage faded and tears filled his blue eyes. "That's not the point...my wife...damn it." Then it hit him, the reality of why the man before him was so upset and he understood. "She made it? That's why you're so angry." He nodded slowly, then dropped to his knees, his head in his hands. Then for the first time since he lost everything he loved, he let himself grieve.

A couple of hours had passed by slowly, but Sango had finally been able to take off the bloodied gloves. She had done all she could to save the injured man, the rest was up to him, and she wanted to believe that he was a fighter. Kagome had made her way outside, she needed some air to calm her nerves, so she stepped out into the crisp autumn evening. She froze in her tracks when she saw the tough military man on his knees, in the midst of an emotional breakdown. Inuyasha was seated beside the distraught man in total silence, instead offering comfort in the quiet of the night. Kagome hadn't realized how soft the hanyou's features could be, until seeing them in the silvery moonlight, the concern on his face enduring. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The young woman had noticed the wolf demon's demeanor change, his muscles had gone ridged. He swiped his cheeks quickly with the back of his hand, before he looked back at her with a piercingly furious glare.

The temper in him flared just at the sight of her standing outside with them, he wanted her to just stay away from him. "Go back inside, you stupid girl. As soon as your friend is well enough to move, I want you both to leave." Kagome blinked, her utter confusion was written all over her face, as visible as a neon sign in the dead of night. "I don't understand. Did we do something wrong?" A low growl rumbled from the wolf demon's chest, it reminded Kagome of a feral wolf faced with an enemy, and he scared her. "You don't understand, because you don't think. You can't just use someone's belongings without asking. You ruined something of mine and I can't fix it." Her mind scrambled to figure out what he was talking about, she didn't ruin anything, at least not that she knew of. "I didn't break anything, I swear. The only thing I touched was a blanket, Miroku was really cold, and he needed to be kept warm."

Koga knew she didn't know what she had done, that she couldn't understand the importance of the sewn together fabric squares. Yet her lack of knowledge did nothing to ease the anger and pain he felt the moment he had seen the growing red stain on the last remaining piece of his beloved wife. "I'm well aware of what you touched and you have no idea what you did to my most cherished belonging. My dead wife made that quilt and you... forget it. I'm wasting my breath explaining myself to such a stupid and foolish girl." The youkai's words dripped with a harsh venom and they stung, her brown eyes sparkled with unfallen tears, and her hands trembled in fear. "I... I didn't know. I'm so very s-sorry." Her lip quivered as she spoke, her emotions bubbled to the surface, and the unshed tears fell down her cheeks silently. The man before her was unmoved by her emotional display, the rage he felt drowned out his sympathy. "Save the tears, I'm not buying it." He turned and moved for the platform railing, he lept down to the forest floor and disappeared amongst the trees.

Inuyasha had found it extremely difficult to allow that scene to play out, but it was for the best to let Koga vent his anger, it was the healthier alternative to bottling things up. "He'll cool off, I don't think he's as pissed as he seems. If my hunch is correct, he has been burying his pain since he lost his wife and son. Don't take it personally." The young woman in front of him appeared to be almost as delicate as a fragile china doll, she sniffled quietly, her feelings noticeably hurt. "I didn't know it was that important to him, I didn't mean to upset him." Inuyasha cleared his throat in an unsure manner, than began to pat the top of her head in a reassuring way, consoling someone had never been his forte. She threw her arms around the hanyou's waist and buried her face in his chest, the shock registered quickly, and he was unsure of how to respond to the embrace. He placed a single hand on her back, tracing small circles with the palm of his hand, in hopes of soothing her. "Thank you, Inuyasha, for holding me."

The hanyou could feel the heat rise to his cheeks and at the moment he was grateful that the two of them were concealed by the shadows of night. He pushed away the nerves, he didn't care to show his softer side to someone he hardly knew, he had to seem uncaring. "I should have asked this sooner. How's your friend doing?" The hold she had him in loosened so she could lean back to look at him, her head tilted up to him, her small stature and innocent face sent his stomach into a flip. Her eyes were glazed with tears and shone brightly in the dim glow of the late night moonlight, the stars reflected in the dark brown of her irises and twinkled softly. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and offered her a confident grin, she returned the smile with a small one of her own, before she released him from her dainty arms. "She sealed up the wound, but the blood loss was great. He has to fight while his body raises his blood count, so he's still hanging in the balance. Sango thinks he'll be okay, since he fought long enough for her to reach him." She shuffled her feet, her eyes downcast, she looked so afraid and worried, and Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to make her smile. "I don't want to sound rude, but I'm tired. Thank you again, for letting me lean on you." She then made her way back into the tower, her arms wrapped around herself, and her face was shadowed by a heavy sadness.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, all right to the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter Five

Koga was normally not as reckless as he had behaved at that moment, he knew better than to go looking for trouble, but that's exactly what he had done. He had been hunting down the mindless, shuffling, undead, just to plunge his blade through the rotting flesh and skulls. He was unable to keep his hands steady, but he could feel the fury as it left his system, yet still the constant tension remained. Kagura had wisely kept her distance from the mysterious military man, his rage was rather terrifying, but his broken heart was visible as well. She wanted to make her presense known to him, but had to do so carefully, so he wouldn't become the dangerous man that was trapped inside. "You always take your frustrations out on the zombies?" She could clearly see Koga jump at the sound of her voice, he clutched the hilt of his hunting knife that much tighter, as his azure blue eyes scanned his immediate surroundings.

She slowly stepped into the clearing and into the soft glow of the illuminating moon, her red eyes almost seemed to refract the soft light like a bright ruby. His gaze moved over her suspiciously, his muscles still taunt with anxiety, but he forced himself to calm down enough to lower his weapon. "No, this is not a typical thing for me to do, but I couldn't take it all out on the foolish girl." She made the careful movements to close the space between them, all the while wary of the actions she made, she didn't want to set him off again. "I don't know if we've been properly introduced, I'm Kagura. You probably weren't wondering though, you don't seem like much of a people person." The woman in front of him smiled in a disarming way, it relaxed him in a way he hadn't been since this whole outbreak started. "I wasn't always this hard to be around. You can call me Koga." The smile he offered in return was weak and the sadness in his eyes never faded, he still hadn't gotten back his real smile and part of him thought he never would.

He lost his smile when he lost the two loves of his life and yet something about Kagura intrigued him. She stood so close, there was no fear on her face, and she wasn't trying to keep a great deal of space between them. "You should go back to the tower, it's not safe out here." She didn't turn to go back, instead she took another step forward, and her burning crimson eyes locked with his icy blue ones. Her gaze was invading and his discomfort was obvious, it was as though she was peering into his soul, and he did not like it. Her hand reached out and with no hesitation she intertwined their fingers together. His rough calloused hand contrasted from her smooth soft one and the surprised gasp passed his lips before he could stop it. "I know you have seen a lot of pain, I can help you heal, Koga." His fingers slowly closed around hers, their gazes still locked, her words enticed him to stay.

He could feel her as she tugged him forward, coaxing him to come closer to her, and though he felt guilty he stepped towards her. "I know what you need, Koga. Do you?" He looked down at her, no one since Ayame had ever asked him what he needed, she had saved him from himself. "I don't. I had it at one point, but it's gone now...whatever it was." She knew what it was that he missed, she over heard his conversation with the young college girl. "What you had and miss, is love. I lost my little sister Kanna, I know it's not quite the same , but the loss of a loved one is painful." Tears filled his eyes once more, he thought that he had cried his last tear nearly an hour ago, and yet the woman had managed to open him up. Just when he thought she was out of surprises, she would do something else to throw him off guard. She pulled him forward, into a tight hug, and the feeling of something so foreign and familiar sent his mind into a tumble of rushing emotions and yearnings.

He hadn't known how much he longed to just be held in someone's arms like this, to feel like another person cared enough to show him some affection. This woman was right to say that she knew what it was that he needed, a stranger knew him better than he knew himself. He could feel his heart as it pounded in his chest, painfully aware that with her being so close, she could feel it too. Then for just a moment, he seemed to lose control over his actions, he crooked his finger under her chin, and lifted her face upwards. He moved his face close to hers, their lips only inches apart, his mouth hovered over hers, yet they never met. He moved his hand away from her, a look of guilt, heartache, and shame washed over his face, as he took a step back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm in a vulnerable place." Her heart fluttered, he had opened up to her, showed her his weakness, his soft and gentle side, and she liked it. She grabbed his shirt collar in her hand and pulled him mere inches from her face, a mischievious glint in her eyes. "I find your vulnerabilty sexy. See you back inside, Lieutenant." She released her hold, before she turned and made her way back to the tower, her hips swung side to side in a tempting and alluring manner. He watched her go, didn't even take his eyes off of her even when he heard the groaning of the undead that crept up on him. Without a backward glance he casually swung his arm back, the knife still held in his right hand hit its mark, a slight smirk on his face.

Rain pelleted onto the tin top of the small wooden water tower, nature's symphony played its song, as the sun climbed high in the sky, behind clouds of gray. The thunder rolled in, which acted as an alarm to awaken the people that were laid about the cold wooden floor. Miroku opened his tired violet eyes, before he attempted to rub the the blurry vision away, he stared up at the ceiling and found his sore body to be oddly warm. It wasn't until he looked to his right and found Kagome to be curled up next to him, to his left was the doctor whose name he vaguely remembered to be Sango, they had kindly kept him warm through the cold rainy night. Inuyasha set up, still huddled deeply in the sleeping bag, his long white hair mused from the restless sleep. "Hey you lucky dog, you're awake and you got a cutie on either side." The hanyou grinned in a boyish way, as the injured Miroku blushed at his current position, his cheeks darkened when the two girls each draped an arm over him.

Most of the previous night had been lost, he could recall bits and pieces, but he wasn't sure how he wound up between these two lovely ladies. "Shame I don't remember anything after the surgery." Inuyasha chuckled, even in his current state, Miroku still had a sense of humor. "You lost a lot of blood, the cold night air was a fearsome enemy to you last night. You have a way with women, Miroku." He pulled himself up to see if he could manage the pain and get back out there, before he and Kagome over stayed their welcome. The agony shot through him, his breath caught in his throat, and a grimace had him gritting his teeth. "Maybe moving wasn't my best idea." Inuyasha could see Miroku's discomfort, hear it in his strained voice, and his face had drained of what little color it had. "You're supposed to be taking it easy. You're safe here and can stay as long as you need to. Just relax, we've got you covered."

Those words put Miroku at ease, he had been worried about having to move about and face the zombies in his weakened condition. "Thank you. I don't think I would last long out there on my own and I wouldn't be able to protect Kagome either. Are you sure our staying here is okay with, um, uh, Ko...Koga? He's not exactly welcoming." That was the understatement of the century, the odd military man was not the friendliest guy in the world, and he did seem to dislike Kagome. "He's not, but he's well aware that your current condition is his fault." Koga had over heard Inuyasha as he talked to the man he had stabbed in his weakened state of mind, so he grunted in displeasure. "It wasn't like I did it on purpose, I reacted to being grabbed in a dangerous setting. I don't mind him staying here, it's the stupid girl I could do without."

Inuyasha sighed at his ally's bluntness, he had hoped he cooled off last night, during his walk through the woods. Miroku looked over to the girl on his right, his face held a soft concern for the naive and kind young lady that laid beside him. "She's not stupid, she's just a little too gentle for this world and I want to help her learn to survive." The wolf demon sat up suddenly, his face blank of even fury, as he stared hard at Miroku. "She ruined something of mine, by letting you bleed all over it. She's stupid, but hey, that's just my opinion." Miroku looked down at the blanket that had been placed over him sometime the night before, the stain had dried onto the carefully pieced together quilt. "I'll clean it. She didn't know and had no intentions of hurting you. Hand me my pack and I'll have it looking good as new in no time."

Koga eyed Miroku skeptically, trust didn't come easily for him, and he doubted he could just take the mortals words seriously. "Sure you will. You can just stroll into town and have it dry cleaned. Easy as pie." Each word dripped with sarcasm, although most would consider his actions as rude, Miroku took it as a grain of salt. "Well no, I can't do that, but I still have some of my mother's secret stain lifter, and she would swear it to be a miracle in a bottle." The hanyou couldn't help but like Miroku's light hearted nature and problem solving skills. Koga seemed to be warming up to him as well, just at his own slow and cautious pace. If the human really could save the quilt, he would probably have a friend for life. Inuyasha passed the injured guy his worn black and navy backpack. It only took a few moments for Miroku to find the little spray bottle and a small wash cloth.

Within a mere ten minutes, the once unsightly stain was no more, like it was never there to begin with. The quilt was carefully folded before exchanging hands, the relief on the wolf youkai's face was obvious and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "What the hell is in that stain lifter?" Miroku chuckled quietly at Koga's confusion and honest question. "Beats the hell out of me, it was my mother's secret. She took the formula to her grave, God rest her soul." The injured man, then pulled a thick, but rather tattered, old blanket out of the pack, before he carefully draped it over his cold body. "Try not to be too mad at Kagome, she means well and she was only trying to keep me warm. I think, with a little bit of training, she could be an excellent addition to a team. If you let us stay, I'll teach her how to shoot a bow and I'm a highly skilled hunter. I can take out a buck with one shot, every time." Inuyasha was well aware of how much better off they would be with a larger group, but he also knew how stubborn Koga could be.

Koga stared at Miroku with hard and unreadable icy blue eyes, the hanyou had no idea what the Lieutenant would say, but he hoped for the best response. "Fine, but if that foolish girl gets us into any trouble, we leave her behind. You can stay with her if you choose to, but that will be it for me. I'm no babysitter and I will not coddle her." Inuyasha couldn't help but to grin, that was the answer he hoped for, well sort of anyway, and he even decided to help Miroku teach her how to take care of herself. Miroku had moved his softer gaze to the young woman at his side, the concern on his face was obvious, and the others could see the heart he still wore on his sleeve. "A trial run seems fair enough, but don't be so hard on her, some people are too gentle for this world and need a little bit more time to find their strength. I will help her find hers, I promise, just give her a chance." Koga grunted, opting not to get sentimental or too understanding, he had a reputation to uphold, he couldn't get all soft now.

The two women beside Miroku stirred, as they slowly woke from the night sleep. Kagome sat up and stretched, she yawned to chase away the fatigue, when she had finally noticed that her friend was sitting up beside her and smiled brightly. "Oh, you're awake! Are you feeling okay?!" Her voice was a little too loud as she let her excitement guide her actions, which annoyed the wolf youkai greatly. "Quiet, you idiot. Are you trying to lead the undead right to us?" Although he kept his voice low, a soft growl gave his words the right amount of edge to silence Kagome. "I'm sorry. I was just so happy to see him awake." Koga rolled his eyes, seemed like the foolish girl was always repeating herself, and he feared he would grow tired of her quickly. "You'll be apologizing a lot, I'm sure of that much, just don't get yourself cornered, because I will walk away without looking back." She nodded slowly, a deep frown on her face, as her eyes grew misty. She didn't care for the wolf demon at all, he was cold and cruel and would look for any reason to leave her behind. "Tears won't soften me up, so suck it up cupcake. I'll be outside." He left the tower in near silence as Kagome swiped at the tears on her cheeks. "Stupid jerk..."

(AN, I hope everyone is enjoying this story so far, it's been interesting to write, as I have never written a horror/drama genre story. Leave me a review and tell me who your favorite character(s) is. Your reviews my save your favorite character, who knows who will die otherwise.)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, all rights to the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter Six

Time passed by slowly, but through that course of time, Miroku had regained his strength little by little. After three weeks of rest, the injured man began to work with the young college girl, and his patience and kindness had shone through, during their training sessions. The sun hung low in the west, as it made it's descent beyond the horizon. "Elbow up, Kagome, level with your chin." The girl followed the directions given to her, the bow and arrow still in hand. "Draw back on the bow, until it's tight, take aim, hold your breath, and fire. You got this, your stance has really improved." Kagome grinned then, she liked it when Miroku praised her for her improvements, unlike Koga who would only scoff at her. The strain of teaching the helpless girl how to defend herself, had worn the farmer out, and he had begun to grow pale. He watched with tired violet eyes, as Kagome fired the arrow, it cut through the air silently, and hit the outer ring of the target. Her eyes lit up at her progress and her smile was wide and childlike. "I hit it, Miroku, I hit the target." Her voice was just above a whisper, but the excitement embraced her words like a hug. "You did wonderfully, but I think that's all I can manage for the day. I need to rest for a little while now. Okay?"

Kagome smiled at Miroku then, her eyes still bright with happiness, she didn't want to call it a day just yet. "I think I'll stay out here and get in some more practice. You can go in and get some rest, maybe a quick nap, I'll be okay on my own, thanks to you." The young man stared at her, leaving her out on her own could prove to be too dangerous, but he was proud that she was beginning to feel more confident. "It's going to be different when it's a moving target, Kagome. Are you sure you're ready to shoot at one of the living dead?" She bit her lip nervously as she rolled the question around in her mind, she hadn't actually taken the time to think about it. "I guess there's only one way to find out, I have to take a few steps on my own, so go inside and rest now." Violet eyes scanned their surrounding, the area was peaceful and quiet. No sounds came from the trees that concealled them and Koga stood on the other side of the tower, as he busied himself with some task. "Okay, if you're sure. I'll be inside if you need some help."

The man climbed the ladder to the platform that wrapped around the dried up water tower, his side throbbed, but he had made some progress with Kagome. Outside, the wolf youkai glared at the foolish girl, but he watched her intently, his curiousity getting the better of him. She gathered up the arrows that had hit the ground near the target and the ones she had actually managed strike the outer ring with, and she moved back to the line Miroku had drawn in the dirt. She drew back the bow, as she readied to fire, her form was fine, but her hands shook like leaves in a tree during a wind storm. "You'll never hit the bullseye, if you can't steady your hands." The timid girl jumped at the sound of his voice, she hadn't expected him to speak to her or pay her any mind at all. "I know, Miroku has told me to calm down, but it's a lot harder than it looks to pull this bow all the way back. So it's hard to know how well I'm actually aiming." Koga could feel a smile tug at the corners of his mouth, but he managed to keep a straight face, she reminded him of someone so much.

He walked over to her, while trying to seem uncaring and detached, but if he understood anything, it'd be how to aim. "Relax a little, use your muscles, but don't lock everything up so much. If you're too tense, you'll continue to shake." His calloused hands guided her gently, he lifted her elbow up slightly, rubbed her shoulders until she loosened them. "Now draw in a slow breath, hold it, and let it fly." She released the arrow, it whizzed through the air and hit the ring that circled the bull. "There you go, getting better already." Kagome was stunned, had this guy really just been kind to her? She moved her gaze to him, her mouth slightly agape, he had helped her and had shown a glimpse of his kindness. "Um, thank you. I'll keep getting better until I can hit the middle every single time." Koga kept his stern and stoic look in place, he wouldn't show his weaker side to this one, she would never let it go. "You'll have to learn to aim against the wind, had you moved a little left of the bull, you would have hit it dead on. Just keep practicing, Kagome." She smiled then and he could almost see Ayame behind it, the pang of loss hit him then. She glowed with happiness for Koga had never used her name before and it gave her enough hope that maybe he was warming up to her. "I will practice every single day, I promise. You'll see that it wasn't a mistake to let me stay."

The wolf demon turned to walk back to the small fire, where the stew pot simmered, as Kagome chewed on her bottom lip. "Wait. Um, Koga...I noticed that you always carry a knife on you and you are obviously skilled with one and I was hoping you could teach me how to fight with one, maybe some knife throwing techniques. Well, would you?" Koga was a little surprised by her request, just a few weeks ago, she wouldn't even look at him, and now she was asking him for a favor. "I suppose I could work with you, but that's only if you show quick progress, I'm not gonna waste my time teaching you something you can't learn." There it was, the asshole persona he wore when he didn't want people to get too close. "I guess that's fair, I'll do my best to learn anything you teach me." Koga merely grunted a response, it was odd how much the college girl reminded him of his late wife, he had to get away from her, but her voice cut through the silence softly. "I guess I've put in enough practice for today. Do you need a hand with dinner? I can help you with it, I don't have anything else to do." He wanted to tell her not to worry about it, but she was already following closely behind him. Every friggin time he showed even an ounce of kindness, people got all friendly with him, and he definitely didn't need to love and care about others, not again. Yet, he couldn't find it in him to tell her to buzz off, instead they finished making dinner in a comfortable silence.

Kagura was sitting along the platform, her legs dangled over the edge, as she watched the two that worked together below. The strange military man held her interest, he seemed so rough and uncaring, but his eyes spoke of so much more, he had loved deeply, and he had a heart of gold. She had noticed the discomfort in the man as he worked with the girl, he showed gentleness, but was wary around her. She couldn't know what was bothering him, she just knew how to read people, and her assumptions were rarely wrong. She was so wrapped up in watching, that she hadn't heard the hanyou that had joined her. "Well, I'll be damned. He's actually being nice to her, that's a surprise." Kagura casually looked to her right, trying not to show how much her heart rate picked up at his sudden intrusion, she replied calmly. "He is quite a puzzle, not an easy man to figure out." The two watched on in silence, not just in curiousity, but to make sure another argument would not break out between them.

"Kagome, could you not eat it before it's finished? You have zero patience, just like Ayame." The brown eyed girl, set her gaze upon the man before her, the smile he wore was sad, and his icy gaze seemed to be looking straight through her. "Ayame?" Koga was pulled back to the present then and he tried to brush her curiousity aside, he didn't have the heart to talk about it again. "Just someone I used to know, ignore my ramblings." The gruffness returned to his voice, so the college girl decided against pushing the matter further, he obviously didn't want to talk about it. "Oh, okay. Um, the stew tastes pretty good." She was awkward when she got nervous and that made her seem a little less like the woman Koga had loved so much, Ayame always held herself with such confidence and he had admired her greatly for that. He thought about her more often now that Kagome was around, it annoyed him how much she made him think of his deceased wife, and he wrongly had been taking his frustrations out on the innocent girl. Truth be told, he was angry with no one but himself. He was supposed to be the protector, but he was not there for his family when they needed him the most, only he was to blame.

"I'm sorry for how mean I've been to you, being an asshole is my major character flaw. Now lets get dinner up to the others before it gets too dark." He grabbed the pot by the handle, a towel in his hand to keep from getting burned, and made his way back to the tower. Kagome merely gawked at him, she had never expected him to actually apologize for his rude behavior, maybe she had misjudged him. She quickly got to her feet and followed after him, opting to keep quiet, and not risk ruining the moment. They all ate in near silence, the atmosphere was always heavy with tension and fear, for not many could be trusted and danger lurked at almost every turn. Kagome sat near Miroku and Sango, she had taken a quick liking to the doctor, and the doctor seemed to take her job of caring for Miroku very seriously. Inuyasha spoke to Kagura and Kohaku in a low voice across from them and Koga preferred to keep his distance, eating on the other side of the wooden room alone.

He shut the others out, getting too close to people only caused more pain and heartache, and he had more than his fair share already. The pitying stares didn't bother him too much, as he could ignore them, for the most part. It was Kagome's nearly consistant gaze that bothered him the most, she would knit her brows together with concern, and the familiarity of it struck a nerve. Her eyes were much darker than Ayame's, a pool of chocolate instead of a deep emerald green. They both had that soft and feminie voice, that appeared both graceful and childlike, and it was that voice that sliced through the tension he was feeling. "Koga, you really should join us over here, it's the only way we'll ever build our bond as a team. We really would love it if you would let us enjoy your company." He slid back into his thoughts then, he had been nothing but a moody asshole to all of them, so why would they even want his company. "You just say that because you pity me, I know that my company is far from enjoyable, it's much closer to unbearable." They all stared at him then, not with pity, but confusion covered their faces instead, which left him equally confused.

Inuyasha spooned up another bite of his stew, as he thought of the best way to respond to the soldier that pretended like he wasn't sensitive. "If you were all that unbearable we would have fed you to a hoard of the insatiable undead. You're not all that bad." The hanyou figured brutal honesty would be better than an extremely sugar coated truth, this guy probably wouldn't believe that latter of the two options. Koga merely scoffed at Inuyasha's statement, he had reputation to uphold, people abuse the kindhearted when the world is in a chaotic state. "I have no idea how I went from getting on on my own, to putting up a whole flock of helpless people. I went wrong somewhere, but I have no intentions of making lasting friendships." The wolf youkai then chose to avoid making eye contact with the whole lot of them, instead his intense blue eyes remained locked on the bowl in his hand.

The military man had built a wall of steel around his cracked and fragile heart, and it appeared that he had no plans of letting anyone in. Yet even the sturdiest of structures would crumble down if the foundation beneath it was weak, and though Koga appeared callous and cruel, the heart he guarded was gentle and full of love. One could only play a role for a short time, true colors always shine through, and even though the wolf demon wouldn't think it could happen to him, it had already begun to. The others could feel his discomfort, see it written all over the young man's face, so they turned their attention away from him, he would come around on his own in due time, and they intended to give him all the time he woud need to do so. As they all continued on as though the man hadn't had an emotional outburst, he found himself relaxing, for he believed he was still safe, hidden within the fortress he had surrounded himself with.

(A.N: If you are enjoying this story and want to read more of the tale I am attempting to weave, please leave a review, follow the story, or add it to you favorites. I will put more effort into the most enjoyed stories, as I have so many in progress.)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, all rights to the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi

*Chapter Seven

It was another morning, that was as quiet as death itself. The sun still shone in a light blue sky, as if everything was as it always was, but though there was light, the world was still shrouded in darkness. Inuyasha set outside, in the branches of a tree, that was near the water tower. The hanyou had begun to grow anxious, he was never one to enjoy being cooped up, and the makeshift bunker had become much more crowded in recent weeks. Not that he didn't feel safer in a larger group, but had they been hold up in a bigger place, he wouldn't have become so tense. It seemed like it would be another typical day, the occasional undead would amble through, and the emptiness would linger on. It wasn't until a shot rang out and the sound of a child's scream pierced the air, full of fear and heartache. It struck a cord with him instantly and he had to locate the child, before harm came to him.

Koga could see Kagome flinch when the childlike cry cut through the silence, she didn't even come close to hitting the target with the hunting knife. "Oh, I can't stand that sound. You should go look for the kid..." The wolf youkai rolled his eyes at her suggestion, the girl cared too much for her own good, and would wind up heart broken if she couldn't harden her heart. "We can't go saving everyone, Kagome. You have got to learn when it's best to walk away." The naive girl didn't agree with Koga's harsh and uncaring opinions, she just couldn't hold her tongue to appease him this time. "But that is someone's child. You wouldn't leave your child out there like that." She regretted her words the moment they passed through her lips, she could see him wince, and the hurt return to his eyes. "You are still such a foolish girl, so careless." Inuyasha leapt down from the branches, landing in the grass with minimal sound, but Koga reacted to it none-the-less, so he questioned him. "Where are you off to?" Inuyasha spared a glance over his shoulder, there was determination in his golden eyes. "I have to find where that scream came from, that kid needs help."

Inuyasha then made his way into the woods, Kagome only hesitated for a mere few moments, before she moved to follow after the hanyou. Koga rolled his eyes, more for himself than anyone else, he couldn't understand how he got stuck with a group of people who were all so foolishly compassionate. If they were determined to go on a crazy rescue mission, there had to be someone in their right mind within the party, so he slowly trailed behind. Both hanyou and youkai could smell the scent of blood, that of another youkai, it hung in the air subtly, so they followed it. The sun spilled though the branches, it brought an eerie glow to the surrounding, as the wind rustled through the dying leaves and bare limbs. The scent of death grew stronger as the three came across the body of a fox demon, cause of death, a gun shot wound to the head. There was no child to be seen within the immediate area, either he had run off, or one of the undead had made a meal out of him.

Koga couldn't help but to be relieved, the last thing the group needed was a young child to slow them down. "Doesn't look like the kid stuck around. We should head back to the tower and just forget about him." The frown on Inuyasha's face only deepened, he couldn't give up sp easily, when a young life was on the line. "We should split up and at least look around for a few minutes, we have plenty of time to spare. I'll go with Kagome and check the west and south, you can check the north, and we'll meet back here. Okay?" The wolf youkai wanted to tell him to piss off, that he was not going to bother in some stupid search, and that he was going back. He would have to, he didn't care if people thought him cruel, but the look in the hanyou's eyes, kept him from doing so. "Whatever. You know this is a stupid idea." The party then split in two, walking in seperate directions, in search of a young boy, who may have just lost his father.

Kagome walked beside her white haired companion, she watched as the hanyou sniffed the air, as he tried to locate the scent of a fox kit. "Koga doesn't want to be looking for this little boy, he thinks a young child would be a safety risk. He probably isn't even looking for him, just sitting somewhere waiting for us to return." Inuyasha had to admit that the ex soldier could be a bit moody and cantankerous, but there was a warm heart buried beneath that disguise. "No. He's looking, there's no way he could really ignore a child, he just can't."

A young boy watched the dark haired man, as he searched the forest, he appeared to be looking for someone. He brushed aside his auburn hair, his teal eyes locked on the wolf youkai, he needed help, and this may have been his only chance at survival. He darted from the bushes and towards the man in the tattered uniform, he couldn't deny the small boy help. Clear blue eyes saw that child that moved forward, but he was still taken by surprise when the fox kit practically wrapped himself around the soldier's leg. "Get off of me runt. Let go this instant." The boy looked up at him with his tear filled teal orbs, tears that threatened to fall within any second. The child wasn't beyond begging, anything was better than being left on his own. "Please don't leave me all alone, I'll listen to everything you tell me, I'll be good." The youkai could feel the panic as it swelled, he did not have any desire to be responsible for another child, he couldn't bear to let a young boy down again. "Just remove yourself, release me." The fox kit only tightened his hold on the strangers leg, afraid of being left on his own, with no one but his eternally cold father.

He had to get the man to accept him, there were dangers around every corner, he needed protection, and this man could offer as much. "My name is Shippo, I'm seven years old, my dad was bitten, so he put a stop to turning, and I'm so scared. Please help me, mister, I'll listen to anything you say, other than let go." Koga groaned in displeasure, why he kept getting saddled with the helpless, he didn't know, but he wasn't about to stand around while a whiney little brat, sent out high pitched signals to the undead. He grumbled, more to himself than the child that clutched onto him for dear life, he turned back towards the clearing, while he dragged his leg and Shippo along. "Just shut the hell up, would ya?" The kitsune nodded his head, all sounds were silenced, but the hold remained.

The wolf youkai stood amongst the trees, impatiently tapping his foot on the leaf covered forest floor, while he waited for the others to return. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps as they approached, the sound was rhythmic, unlike the walking dead, which always had a more clumsy and aimless sound. Inuyasha and Kagome broke through the tree line and quickly sensed the wolf's aggitated stare on them. "Get this tiny thing off of me, before I lose my damn temper." Kagome's kind brown eyes landed on the young boy, he gazed at her with fear, while he remained clinging to the man who found him. "Oh Koga, you found him. That's great." She slowly made her way over to them, before she lowered herself to the boy's level. "Hi sweetheart. I'm Kagome. What's your name?" The death grip he had on the soldiers uniform, loosened slightly, he was being drawn in by Kagome's gentle nature. "I'm Shippo, I'm seven years old, and I just lost my father. Will you please help me?"

Koga growled his response, he knew it was a bad idea to even entertain the notion of taking the responsibility of a child in their current surroundings. The motherly Kagome, somehow managed to pry the child from the youkai's leg, as the boy now had his arms wrapped around her instead. "You all know as well as I do, that caring for children during this outbreak, is a foolish and careless idea." The hanyou knew that a child is hard to keep quiet, as they react honestly to fear and pain, but there was really no other choice. "That may be, but we can't really leave him out here to fend for himself, he's just a young boy. They can't even care for themselves when things are relatively peaceful, he'll be killed if we just abandon him. I can't live with that on my conscience. Can you?" A bitter smile was on his face then, he stayed quiet, as he built another wall between himself and the others. "Do whatever you want, Inuyasha, but that kit is your responsibility, not mine." He turned then and stalked back towards the tower, hell bent on keeping his feelings to himself and bonding with no one.

Shippo was huddled into a sleeping bag, the water tower was crowded, but this added a cozy atmosphere to the bare wooden space. The kitsune's clear teal blue eyes took in the faces of the people that surrounded him, the women of the group all looked kind, the teenager appeared as tense as he felt, but only one of the males, still seemed warm and kind, the human one. He decided then, that he would try to get on his good side, so he began the task of inching his way closer to the man. It didn't take long for the auburn haired boy, to sidle up next to the injured farmer, and stare up at him tentatively. Miroku finally spared the boy a kind glance, with softened indigo eyes, and offered him a gentle smile. He ruffled the foxes fluffy red hair with a light hand, tousling his hair in a fatherly manner, which only lead to tears springing into the wide and innocent eyes of the child.

"Awe now child, dry those tears. You're safe here, don't go getting yourself all upset, won't do you any good." The wide eyes remained on the man who offered words of solace, the one who reminded him of a kindhearted father, one that sounded like his did. In that instant, Shippo threw his arms around Miroku's waist, which sent a searing pain up the farmer's torso. He grimaced slightly, but said nothing to the boy, as he seemed to need the contact, for he desperately clung to a stranger as though they were long lost kin. It was that moment that lead the kitsune into taking a sudden shining to the mortal man, he felt familiar, like the father he had to leave behind, and he felt safe beside him. The boy removed himself from Miroku, before he wandered back to his lonely corner, to gather his bedding. He dragged everything he could, over to the farmer, and set to the task of making himself comfortable. "I think I'd feel best sleeping near you. I hope that's okay with you." The kitsune refused to look up, as he preferred not to see the rejection, if he was told to scamper back where he came from. "It's fine with me, Shippo, I don't mind the company."

Shippo looked at Miroku then, thrilled that he was accepted so warmly, in a world that had become so cold. The woman in the tower eyed the farmer with a different kind of look, the man gained their approval without even trying to, which only elicited eye rolls from the other males that were around to witness the display. "Oh Miroku, you're about the sweetest guy around." Kagome crooned as she watched the man with the young fox kit, a dreamy smile plastered on her face. Miroku only lifted an eyebrow at her, not fully understanding why he was suddenly receiving such praises, but he'd accept them none-the-less. "Um, thank you Kagome." The three woman continued to watch from the sidelines, as Miroku taught Shippo how to play old maid, with a deck of regular playing cards, Kohaku eventually joined in on the game, while Inuyasha tried to figure out why the girls were suddenly so interested in Miroku.

(A.N: If you are enjoying this story and want to read more of the tale I am attempting to weave, please leave a review, follow the story, or add it to you favorites. I will put more effort into the most enjoyed stories, as I have so many in progress. Be patient with me over these next few months, my mother passed away on the Jan 3, 2018, and I am having a difficult time focusing.)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, all rights to the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter Eight

A young woman carefully made her way through the forest, she treaded lightly, doing her best not to make too much noise. She was agile, her feline instincts kept her movements graceful and fluid, she was a huntress, that stalked during the night. Voices from the living drifted through the night air, it called to her, for she longed to belong. She watched the wooden tower from a tree, in silence, she waited patiently for someone to emerge, and welcome her. She had been keeping tabs on the group for a while now and for the most part, they all seemed so warm, all but one. The wolf youkai, he was a distant man, preferred to keep himself in solitude, although he did, at times, show a softer side. He occasionally worked with a young lady on her knife throwing techniques, and archery. It was him that piqued her cat like curiousity in many ways, he always smelled of loneliness and sorrow, and he longed for something he no longer had.

The military man strolled out onto the platform, he looked tense, as always, and even though he was consistently alert, he didn't notice her presense. It was about time that he saw her, as she saw him, a mysterious figure in the night, an image underneath the light of a silvery moon. She leapt down from the tree gracefully, the grass only whispered beneath her feet, and she looked up at him with her sunset orange eyes. Her cream colored hair flowed down her back, where it stopped just below her waist, it shimmered like silk under the low glow casted by the cresent moon that hung overhead. Demon markings striped her cheeks, wrists, and ankles, with a black diamond on her forehead, black tipped ears peeked out from her fluffy tresses, and twin tails twitched behind her. She had his attention, he eyed her suspiciously, unsure of what she was capable of, female or not, no one was to be trusted, and she smelled strongly of cat.

Koga leapt down from the tower, he landed softly, but his tense muscles gave him the appearance of a wolf hunting down his prey. His hard eyed gaze pierced through the darkness, the pure blue refracting the silver illumination of the moon, and it burned like ice. "You always prowl around in the dead of night?" She gave him a slow and cunning smile, still eyeing him with cat eyes that glowed like a small flame in absolute dark. "Not always, but it's easiest to blend in with the shadows, than it is to move about in broad daylight. You look a little kinder in the sunlight though, but a dangerous man could be exciting." Her words caused a sudden mental stumble, but his guard was still up, and he wouldn't allow her to get too close. "I'm not dangerous, I'm unpredictable, I'm deadly, not exciting." He held his ground as she stepped closer, a purr rumbled in her throat, as she playfully rubbed her tails under his chin, the sly smile still on her lovely face.

The woman was teasing him and he didn't really care for her silly games much or her cat like taunts. "You better watch your step, woman, this isn't a game you want to be playing with me." He pushed her tails away in irritation, as he tried to remain calm, he was not used to such antics and foolery. She let the silence linger on longer than she normally would have, but she got some enjoyment from teasing this man relentlessly, so she responded in a sweet and light tone of voice. "The name is Kirara, not woman. Most people start with introduing themselves, it's common courtesy, you know." She circled him with slow and graceful strides, she eyed him as though he were on display in a shop window, and the man didn't seem to be amused. "My name is none of your concern. You should just scram, there is no more room left here, should have never shown this place to anyone else as it is." Her ears fell back and she eyed him with a pitifully sad look, one that would never fool a man of his training.

Her tails drooped down and brushed the grass at her feet, so she spoke again. "I won't force my company upon anyone, I am so sorry for intruding. I've spent many nights sleeping in the branches of trees, I'm sure I can manage it again." Koga crossed his arms over his chest, he intended to stand his ground on this one, enough was enough. "There's plenty of trees to choose from, an evergreen tree would offer the most coverage, if you can manage to find one." Kirara could feel her temper as it started to rise, this man found it far too easy to turn her away in the dead of night, with all the dangers that lurked. "How could you just turn away a lady in need of help? Don't you even have a heart?" The military man had the nerve to actually scoff at her words, he didn't care about helping others, not at all. "Got rid of that thing a long time ago, I suggest everyone do the same. Good luck finding a comfortable tree." She didn't think she would have to take such extreme measures, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so she started to cry.

The wolf youkai could feel the growl roll up his throat, he never could stand tears, yet they rarely had the power to change his mind. "That is not going to work on me, however it will mildly annoy me. You should probably start on your way again, find someone else to dupe. I'm no fool." The man certainly didn't care much for first impressions, since he so easily came off as a complete asshole. "You idiot. I'm not trying to trick you, I just needed a place to rest for a while. This outbreak is even turning the living into soulless and heartless monsters, congrats on your transformation." He rolled his blue eyes in exasperation, she was not the first weary traveller he had come across, the rest were still camping out in his water tower. "I have enough people in my space, so I'm not looking to add any more. I went from being on my own, to having cramped living quarters." The neko demon girl looked at him with a fiery glare, she had never before met someone so absolutely infuriating.

Both youkai heard movement from the water tower, the steps were ligther, that of a female. Kirara smiled smuggly at the wolf, as he eyed her suspiciously, the woman had something up her sleeve, he could sense it. "Koga, are you out here?" It was Sango's voice that called out to him and revealed his name to the annoying neko female, but he kept the irritation from his voice. "Yeah thought I heard a noise, it was just the wind though." He lowered his voice enough to keep the doctor from hearing what he had to say next. "Now get going before anybody else sees you hanging around." She was not about to let this man get the better of her, not a chance, she did not care much for losing. "Not on your life, buster, you can't tell me what to do." The neko then transformed into a tiny cat and took off towards the doctor, the perfect victim to fall for her adorable and furry disguise. "Oh look, a cat. I bet you're absolutely frightened, come here kitty." Koga watched on in disgust as Sango scooped the cat up into her arms and embraced her close to her chest. The little sneak, she may have won this first fight, but the war was far from over.

A small child trailed closely behind the tall graceful male figure, his stoic nature made him rather terrifying, but the girl knew enough to respect the man that protected her so fiecely. The silence the two traveled in was more than lonely, but she would follow him anywhere, she owed him that much. Rin didn't bother to ask Master Sesshomaru where they were headed, he would never take the time to offer an answer. To remain quiet was a much better choice, with little to no words spoken, there would be no chance of the undead finding their current location. The path they followed was rough and overgrown, as though it hadn't been taken in many years, and young Rin stumbled often, over the roots and ruts at her feet. She struggled to regain her balance quickly and to match the pace of someone whose stride was much longer than hers. The sunlight was filtered to a dim glow, the trees that towered over the figures were still a vibrant green, despite the autumn chill or the winter that slowly approached.

The space between them grew, as she tried her best to keep up, but her short legs couldn't match pace with his long ones. She fought the urge to call out to the youkai who only continued to leave her further and further behind. The woods only grew thicker, the rustling of the leaves in the trees was eerily reminiscent of the shuffling steps of the undead, and it sent a chill down her spine. She often wished that Sesshomaru showed her a more fatherly type of affection, he was kind enough to protect her and he did allow the human child to join him on his secret journey. It wasn't until the wind played through the branches just right, a howl echoed through the forest, the sound set the young girl in a run. She caught up to the stoic dog demon and latched onto the hand with slim and clawed fingers. His golden icy gaze fell upon the child, he spoke no words, and even though he wasn't pleased with the contact, he didn't protest nor did he remove his hand from hers.

Rin clung onto her protector, the greenry only became more dense, and blocked the sun's rays from reaching the travelers. Wide brown eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and it took a few long moments for her to realise that they stood in front of a mouth of a cave. Sesshomaru continued inside the dark and damp cave, as a small girl clutched onto his pants legs with a tight fisted grip. This corner of the world was eerily quiet, one could almost hear the grass that grew just beyond the mouth of the cave. The pair walked down into the darkness for what seemed like ages and all Rin wanted to do was run back out and find the sunlight again. As they grew closer to the back of the mountain, a light appeared at the end of the long and winding tunnel. The light illuminated around on object that laid upon a pillar, they approached the lonely display wordlessly. The youkai picked up the sword and tried to remove the sheath that covered the blade, only to find that he did not have the ability to remove it. "So it appears that this sword was left to Inuyasha." Now he would journey to find his half brother and together they would find the Tensaiga. If all went according to plan, the two brothers would use their father's blades to put an end to the devasting outbreak.

Koga woke the following morning to find the two tailed neko-tama staring at him smuggly, he fought the urge to walk over there and just throw her over the edge of the water tower. He was the only person in the group of unlikely allies that had any sense about him, but of course they would just see it as him being calloused. He knew about the innocent felines little secret, she wasn't what she appeared, and she was fooling everybody. Inuyasha shifted quickly in his sleeping bag, the sudden noice sent a jolt of panic up the wolf youkai's spine. Kirara's head cocked to the side, as she watched the hard-hearted man go from relaxed to tense and back. This man was going to be a puzzle, someone that most people would feel a strong desire to piece back together, and finally see the bigger picture. She got up on her paws and stretched, arching her back, her cream colored fur bristled slightly. She crossed the water tower floor and rubbed against his arm while she purred softly. The noise and vibration normally had a calming affect, she hated seeing someone struggle with anxiety, even if that someone didn't appear to have a very kind heart.

His ever wary blue eyes were upon her, she took this as an oppurtunity to rub against his arm for a second time, and she was rather astounded that the man hadn't moved to shove her away. Instead his stealy gaze went distant, he slipped from the present, and, in his mind, slid somewhere else entirely. His hand appeared to move of it's own accord, he gently stroked her fur, as she continued to purr. Kirara couldn't help but to wish that she had the ability to read minds, for she knew his would be a fascinating read, but all she could do was speculate. She sat on her haunches, as he absentmindedly scratched behind her ear, and her purrs became more natural and less forced. The clarity returned to his eyes as he regained his sense of reality. The feline huffed in disappointment, as the wolf youkai retracted his hand, and he was now ridged and alert. It was quiet, but his ears picked up the miniscule sounds. Two pairs of footsteps, as they carefully and quietly investigated the campsite below. Someone had discovered their little hideaway. He didn't know if they were friend or foe, but they couldn't just sit around here and wait to be attacked. Not when the element of surprise was still on their side.

(A.N: I know I haven't updated this story in quite a long time, I still have every intentions of finishing it, but did get a little stuck. I also find that I am more inclined to work on the stories that get the most reviews, favorites, and follows. If you are reading this story, let me know who you favorite character or characters are. I would also like to say thank you to Rook for the kind review, it means more than you know.)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, all rights to the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter Nine

The wolf youkai held his breath, as the footsteps grew closer, and the sound of voices rose up and squeezed through the small gaps between the wooden boards beneath him. The words that were spoken were too distant to be made out, but they definitely belonged to males. Kirara sat still beside the stoic man, only her tails twitched behind her, as they both waited for the danger to pass. It didn't take long for the voices to grow even further away and after a moment of holding his breath the voices faded entirely. Koga exhaled slowly as the tension in his muscles gradually relaxed. He chose to ignore the feline that stared at him with an intense interest and her head cocked to one side. She mewed at him softly and rubbed the length of her body against his arm. The purr vibrated in her throat and gave a strange calming effect to the soldier. He patted her absent mindedly for a moment, before he stood to go search out some provisions for breakfast. Inuyasha must have heard him as he moved about, as his head lifted off his pillow sluggishly.

The hanyou rubbed the sleep from his tired amber eyes, before he propped himself up on his elbows casually. "Where are you off to so early in the morning?" Koga audibly grumbled, even though his guests had invaded his domain sometime ago, he still found himself getting used to the others that surrounded him. "I thought I would do this weird thing, where I find food that I can eat." Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his friend's sarcastic nature, but a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth none-the-less. "Well aren't you a ray of sunshine in the morning. I'll come with you though, we'd probably find something much faster together anyway. Don't ya think?" The wolf youkai shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, to be honest, he found it far too early to be dealing with other people. "I suppose going out in groups would be the best course of action. Maybe you could take Kagome and Kagura could go with me. And to be fair, I'm never a ray of sunshine." Inuyasha nodded quickly, he had secretly hoped there would come another moment when he and Kagome could be alone again. "Sounds good to me, she needs more on the field type experience anyway, and now is as good as ever. Come on guys, time to wake up."

Koga winced visibly at Inuyasha demanding voice as he was still rather unnerved by the unwanted visitors that had dropped by to snoop around. The others reacted as most do when having been woke in an unwanted manner. They groaned in annoyance, some turned over and laid back down, some begrudgingly awoke, but Shippo whined, in a child-like way, before he threw his pillow at Inuyasha. The hanyou chuckled, amused by the kids mildly dramatic antics. He tossed it back and it landed atop Shippo's head softly. "You don't need to be in such a sour mood in the morning, not when there's work to be done." Miroku lifted his head once again and turned to face the abnormally chipper, Inuyasha. His face was flushed of color and the exhaustion was easily visible to anyone that looked at him. "As true as that might be, I don't really care. I'm going back to bed." He said no more before he turned away again and laid his head back down with a quiet huff. Sango moved to check on her patient, she placed a hand on his forehead, and quickly determined that the man was running a rather high fever.

She returned to her bag to find what she needed to get Miroku back on his feet in the timeliest fashion, before she placed her attention on the others. "I hate to seem bossy, but why don't you all go out and get that work, that needs to be done, finished. He needs to rest and the quieter in here the better." The doctor shooed them out of the water tower, she had to rule out a few things, before she could began to treat his ailments. Sango quietly returned to Miroku's side, he appeared to be asleep again and she did hate to wake him. She stared at him for a moment, her hands hovered above him, as she contemplated bothering him so soon. He opened one eye and glanced up at her. She jerked her hand away, as though something had suddenly burned her. "Yes, Sango?" She gathered her composure as quickly as she had lost it. She was capable at what she did and Miroku was not the first good looking man she had treated, not that she thought he was good looking. "I need to check your wound. You may have an infection. I told you that you were pushing yourself into doing too much too soon."

Miroku stared at her for a moment, but he couldn't help but to chuckle at her scolding him. "I'm sure you're right, but one doesn't exactly have the luxury of taking it easy for too long." Sango glared at him in frustration, she wasn't too keen on her orders being taken so lightly, even if he may have had a point. "You shouldn't argue with the only doctor you know. I do, quite literally, have your life in my hands. It would be wise to stay on my good side." She smoothed out her shirt and tired to give him her most serious expression, but it was hard to maintain when he smiled at her like that. He rolled onto his back and quickly became comfortable, while also being in a position that made it easier for Sango to examine his wound. She gently lifted his shirt, he hid the grimace from his face, and she began to cut off the bandages that were tightly wrapped around his torso. He didn't allow himself to flinch away from her touch, because he didn't want her to feel the need to apologize for his minor discomfort. "You know, Sango, I thought I was on your good side."

She attempted to fight off the smile, but found it to feel like a natural reaction to his statement. "To be honest with you, I have grown rather fond of you." She ignored the bright smile and the way his eyes lit up at her honest response. It was as she feared, it looked as though he had an infection. She needed to focus and treat the wound throughly. She figured she had to keep him alive because she enjoyed having him around. So Sango carefully applied the ointmint to his healing but infected injury. "You really do need to give yourself more time to heal, before you are up so much. You should allow Inuyasha and Koga to train Kagome, they are both just as capable for such a task." She retrieved a bottle of pills from her pack and took a canteen in her other hand. She took a single tablet from the orange bottle and offered it to him. He held out his hand and she dropped it into his palm. She waited for him to pop it into his mouth before she gave him that water. He took it with no fuss before he rested his head on his pillow once more. "Thank you, Sango. If you hadn't come when you did, well, I wouldn't be here anymore. You really did save my life."

She dismissed his thanks quietly, but she couldn't hide the blush that tinted her cheeks a rosy pink. "Oh, don't be silly. I was only doing my job." She quietly replaced his old bandages with fresh ones, she would have to change them more frequently now. "Well, you do your job really well. It was pretty lucky that Inuyasha and Koga was able to find someone with your skills." He placed his hand over hers, which instantly put an end to her work. The way he looked at her now was unnerving, most men found her unapproachable but Miroku looked at her very differently. She continued to busy herself, she used her free hand to check his fever again, it didn't seem to have gone up nor down. "We really need to do something about this fever. Let me check to see if I have anything for that." She carefully removed her hand from his and turned away from him as she rummaged through her bag. He remained silent as she found what she needed, but continued to search while she gathered her jumbled nerves.

When she turned her attention back to him, his eyes were closed, and his breathing was slow and even with sleep. She eyed his features closely, she had never met a man that looked so mature yet boyish at the same time. She wouldn't freely admit it to anyone, but she found him easy on the eyes. She could no longer hear the voices of the others below, they must have formed teams and broke off to do some hunting and gathering. She moved silently, shifted herself to be seated above him, instead of beside. She looked around the tower, as though to make sure everyone had, in fact, left the two of them alone. With a less than bold courage, she lifted Miroku's head, and placed it in her lap. He stirred at the movement and woke to find her looking down on him with a horrified expression. "I uh, I didn't mean to wake you. You just looked uncomfortable and I thought this would remedy that little problem."

She held her breath and hoped he would believe the small falsehood she used as an excuse. If he thought her to be lying, he said nothing, instead he smiled up at her. "Thank you, Sango. You are thoughtful, indeed." He grew quiet, there was no awkwardness in the silence, as Sango could tell that something was on his mind. "Sango, you are probably close to my age, and you are attractive, successful, smart, and funny. What was your relationship status before this outbreak began?" She could feel herself physically jump and she was sure he felt it too. "I was married to my career, I guess. I didn't have a lot of time for dating. I did have a short relationship with another doctor. His name was Kuranosuke Takeda, but it didn't last long at all. What about you? If you don't mind my asking." She watched as several different emotions crossed his features. "I don't mind at all, it's only fair that I answer what you were willing to answer. About a year before the outbreak, I was engaged. The woman's name was Shima, we had been dating since our Senior year in high school. I proposed and she said yes, but in the end, I broke it off."

He paused there, she could tell if he considered continuing with the story or to just leave it were it stood. She, of course, was curious and wanted to know why he would break off an engagement that he proposed. "Oh? That's too bad. You seem like the kind of guy that would need a pretty good reason to break such a promise." He glanced up at her, there was a silent amusement in his eyes, but he didn't laugh at her. "Well, I did catch her sleeping with my best friend, so I would like to believe I had a good enough reason." He laughed slightly at her surprised expression and he spoke again before she could tell him how sorry she was. "I'm over it now. I'm honestly glad I found out before we said our vows. I felt less foolish finding out when I did. I cut them out of my life and haven't spoken to them since. She may have broke my heart back then, but there's a chance she ate his." She hadn't expected Miroku to be capable of dark humor, but she could understand it given the circumstances. "Didn't think you'd put it that way, but I suppose you're not wrong."

His smile faded into a sadder expression. "I make jokes, because it makes it easier to talk about. My father often said in jest, that I was a hopeless romantic and I have to agree with him. When I asked Shima to marry me, I had all the pictures in my head. A cozy house, white picket fence, kids, and a family dog. I wanted what my parents had, that love that starts like a raging fire, hot and passionate. Over the years it burns a bit lower, more like I cozy fire under the mantle. It's comfortable, warm, still hot but more contained. It was silly that I believed I could have such a thing with Shima, we were young when we met, and it just wasn't supposed to happen with her...but it still hurt." Sango held her breath as he spoke, she had never really considered what she wanted in a relationship, but what he described sounded wonderful. "I had no idea that you were so romantic, Miroku."

They locked eyes and didn't break it for a long while. Her hand moved on it's own accord and landed lightly on his cheek. He didn't shy away from her touch nor did the eye contact they shared waiver. Instead he motioned for her to come closer to him and she quietly complied. Their lips touched, lightly at first, but it slowly deepened into something neither was prepared for. He lifted himself up to get closer to her and one of his hands slipped into her hair. There seemed to be no end to the kiss, both couldn't find the strength to break it. They would have stayed as they were, if not for the wooden door that slammed open. "Hey sis, I caught some fish!" The two broke apart startled by the unannouced intruders, Sango's face turned bright red as she found her younger brother gawking at her. "Oh, um, sorry...I uh, I didn't know you were busy." Her brother eyed Miroku suspiciously as she tried to make an excuse for their close proximity. "It's not what it looks like, I was, uh, checking his temperature." Kohaku rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Yeah sure, because you always check your patient's temperature by sucking their faces."

Shippo opted to remain silent, he put his pail of berries on the floor. He couldn't even remember if he ever saw his parents kissing like that. Inuyasha sat his catch in the cooler to await the return of the other hunting party, what Miroku and Sango were caught doing was of no concern to him. Kagome, on the other hand, was all giggles, curiosity, and teasing. She wanted to know everything, because she just needed all the details of what had happened. "And here I thought you were only the big brother type, Miroku. Boy was I wrong, even if you only ever put a stop to my flirting." Inuyasha still said nothing, even if he was a bit jealous that Kagome would flirt with Miroku. To keep himself from getting angry, he had to remind himself that the two had spent some time alone before she had even met him. He relaxed even more when he heard Miroku sigh at the young lady's teasing. "From the moment we met, you needed me like a little sister needs an older brother. It was you that cemented our friendship as such and remember, older brother's get revenge when a younger sister does her best to embarrass him and they usually get the job done better."

She huffed dramatically but smiled none-the-less, she would have been a bit more worried if Miroku himself wasn't smiling. "Fine, fine. I'll be quiet. You win this round, Miroku." Kohaku stood by the entrance, he wasn't the least bit entertained nor amused by what was going on around him. "Sango, I really think you and I need to go outside and have a little chat." Sango really didn't want to have this chat with her baby brother, ever since the outbreak started he tried to be as over protective as their father had been. "Whatever, Kohaku, but let me give him something for his fever. Okay?" Her brother shrugged, then he slipped back outside and down the ladder. Miroku took the two pills she had offered to him and watched her as she followed after, Kohaku. He waited for her beneath the tower, he paced back and forth in frustration, but stopped once he noticed her presense.

He glared at her skeptically before he sighed in exasperation. "Really Sango, that's the guy you're gonna be macking on?" She tried not to allow herself to get mad at him, she wanted to at least hear him out before she jumped to a reaction. "Yeah, I guess it is. He's a really good guy. Why do you have a problem with him all the sudden? I thought you liked him. You have no problem playing card games with him." He scoffed at her, almost as though he didn't understand why he even needed to explain his reasons for oppossing the idea of her being with, Miroku. "C'mon sis. You have been with super successful guys, like Kuranosuke. He was an accomplished surgeon. Sure, Miroku's nice and all, but he's a farmer's son, he's a farmer. You wouldn't have dated a man like him before the outbreak. You're totally out of his league." She couldn't help but to stare at him in disbelief. Did he really think she was so shallow as to believe she couldn't date a man of, what some might deem, a lesser profession? "Kohaku, maybe us being different is what I like about him. You know that Kuranosuke and I were always too busy to spend any time together. Maybe I wouldn't have crossed paths with Miroku had this outbreak not happened, but it did and I met him. I want to see where things go betweem us. It will happen with or without your blessing, but I really wish I had it."

He kicked at the rocks at his feet, the dust was stirred, and it lightly coated his white shoes. "Tsk, I guess you have my blessing, even if I think you can do better." She wanted to chastise him, but figured that was the best she could hope for. Her father never believed any man was good enough for his daughter, not even Dr Takeda, so her brother thought he needed to be just as difficult to please. "You better continue to be respectful to him, Kohaku. I mean it, he is older than you and he has been nothing but kind to you. You're not dad, so stop acting like him." He glared at her harshly, before he spoke in a low but furious voice. "I hate when you treat me like a child and I'm not trying to be like dad. I bet even Kagura would be surprised that you are settling for a farmer. Why don't you find out what she thinks? You probably think she's more mature than I am and maybe you'll take what she says to heart or whatever." Sango remained silent, she didn't want to tell him that she didn't care what Kagura would think either, whether she approved or not. She was done arguing with him. She was a grown woman and could make her own decisions.

Koga and Kagura had finally began to make their way back to the water tower. They had been lucky to come across the nest of a wild turkey and take the eggs that were inside. Kirara trailed behind them in her cat form and she watched them closely with a suspicious eye. Kagura walked a little too closely to the wolf youkai, she was close enough to brush against him at times. Kirara had the upper hand though, Kagura didn't know her true form, and she could easily eavesdrop on their conversations. "You've been awful quiet, Koga. I kinda thought you had a reason for wanting to go with me." He glanced over at her calmly, his icy blue eyes as cold as ever, and he shrugged. "I figured you would be the quietest partner. Inuyasha is an okay guy, but he doesn't need me to encourage his incessant chattering." The disappointment Kagura felt was obvious, she had hoped there had been another reason for his wanting her company.

She tried to give Koga the quiet he wanted, but she quickly became incapable of the task. "I kinda thought you wanted to be alone with me, maybe you thought we could have another little moment between us." She observed the tension that spread throughout his body, she sort of enjoyed how easily she could unnerve him. "If that's what you were expecting, Kagura, you will be very disappointed by the end of this short journey." He avoided looking at her, she couldn't be sure as to why he didn't want to make eye contact, but she was dertermined to find out. She stopped walking and took his hand in hers and forced him to turn his eyes on her. Kirara's fur bristled as the woman pressed herself against the solider seductively. She spoke to him again in a husky tone of voice. "So you're telling me that you didn't want to kiss me that night?"

Koga regained his composure and took a quick step back. He cleared his thoart nervously. "I don't really know what I wanted. I know that it didn't feel right, my wife wouldn't have liked you flirting with me like that." Kagura smiled softly, so the man did know when someone was making a move towards him. "You're telling me that she wouldn't want you to be happy without her? I didn't think she was a selfish woman. From the love you have for her, I know she loved you too much to want you to be miserable. Maybe it was her that had you running into us when you needed help for your friend, maybe she wanted you to meet me." Her words enticed the reaction she hoped for, she could almost see the thoughts that raced through his mind. He actually considered her words and that gave her a little opening to make another move.

She closed the gap beteween them again and grabbed his shirt collar in her fisted grip. "Wait Kagaura..." It was easy to hear the hesitation in his voice, he was conflicted, he wanted her to kiss him but not, at the same time. "Come now, Koga. You know that you wouldn't mind kissing me. Let me remind you what it's like to be with a woman." He didn't reply, but he couldn't seem to break away from her either. It was almost like he didn't have the strength to get away from her and fight off her advances. Kirara watched on as Kagura pulled the man down to her and part of her just couldn't allow this exchange to continue, not on her watch. Their lips were only inches apart now, so the feline raced forward, and began to dart inbetween their legs. She finally accomplished her goal when Kagura lost balance and fell back, landing with a thud on her backside.

Koga looked down at her, the amusement evident on his normally hard features. He chuckled quietly as Kagura's harsh glare shifted from the cat to the man. He offered her a hand to help her back up and he stopped the light laughter the incident caused. "You alright? I don't know what got into that cat." Kirara sat a little ways away from them, she licked her dainty paws, and did her best to appear innocent. "I'm fine, just don't really like that stupid cat right now." She got back to her feet, still watching the cat, it's sunset orange eyes locked with her ruby red ones. At the moment she could have sworn that the stupid thing grinned and winked at her. Koga said no more for the rest of the walk back to the water tower, not that Kagura had the time to notice. She was far too busy watching the cat the pranced behind them with a suspicious amount of pride. She was sure that the furball did what she did on purpose and was happy about it.

(A.N: I know I haven't updated this story in quite a long time, I still have every intentions of finishing it, but did get a little stuck. I also find that I am more inclined to work on the stories that get the most reviews, favorites, and follows. If you are reading this story, let me know who you favorite character or characters are.)


End file.
